Sisvel To Administer RFID Consortium's Patent Licensing Program
Sisvel US and the RFID Consortium recently announced that Sisvel will administer the Consortium's ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) patent licensing program. A leading firm in intellectual property management, the Sisvel Group has over 70 licensing professionals operating from offices in the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, and Japan. The members of the RFID Consortium are companies that have developed RFID technologies and hold patents essential to EPCglobal and ISO/IEC standards for UHF RFID. Sisvel and the RFID Consortium are finalizing plans to launch the new UHF RFID licensing program in the second quarter of this year.
"The UHF RFID patent licensing program benefits both licensors and licensees, and we are committed to advancing this thoroughly and quickly, to support the growing RFID market," said Giustino de Sanctis, Chairman of Sisvel US. "RFID technology has great market potential and this program will make it easier for leaders in the industry to adopt the technology and acquire the related patent licenses under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms and conditions."
"Engaging Sisvel is a key step to realizing the RFID Consortium's goal of creating a patent pool for the benefit of both the RFID industry and holders of essential RFID patents," said Jim O'Hagan, a spokesperson for the RFID Consortium and Director of Patents and Technology for Zebra Technologies Corporation. "Sisvel brings decades of licensing experience and expertise to the UHF RFID program, and shares our enthusiasm for this remarkable technology."
Joint licensing programs provide a convenient and cost-effective way to obtain licenses to patents that are essential to the practice of a standard, which in turn encourages greater adoption of the standard. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a favorable Business Review Letter relating to the Consortium's proposed licensing arrangement. The RFID Consortium has entered into a definitive agreement with Sisvel UHF RFID, LLC, a newly created subsidiary of Sisvel US formed to administer the UHF RFID licensing program. Participation in the UHF RFID licensing program and the RFID Consortium remains open to all holders of essential patents, regardless of whether they were involved in the development of RFID standards.
K&L Gates (www.klgates.com) attorney Christopher A. Bloom is counsel to the RFID Consortium, and William F. Dolan of Jones Day (www.jonesday.com) has acted as special antitrust counsel to the RFID Consortium.
About the Sisvel Group
Started in 1982 when Sisvel S.p.A. was founded in Italy, the Sisvel Group has become one of the world's leaders in managing intellectual property and maximizing the value of patent rights. The Sisvel Group is global in scope and reach, with companies in Italy (Sisvel in None Torinese and Edico in Rome), the United States (Sisvel US and Audio MPEG in Metropolitan Washington, DC), China (Sisvel Hong Kong), Japan (Sisvel Japan in Tokyo), and Germany (Sisvel Germany in Stuttgart), and with more than seventy professionals worldwide with technical, legal, and licensing expertise.
About the RFID Consortium
The RFID Consortium is comprised of companies involved with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The RFID Consortium's goals are to promote rapid adoption of RFID by facilitating easier access, by manufacturers and customers alike, to essential RFID patents and to provide patent owners the opportunity to receive fair compensation for those patents, all at a reasonable cost to the end-user. The current members of the RFID Consortium are: 3M Innovative Properties Company, a subsidiary of 3M Company (MMM); France Telecom (FTE); Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ); LG Electronics; Motorola, Inc. (MOT); ThingMagic, Inc.; and Zebra Technologies Corporation (ZBRA).
For more information about Sisvel or the RFID Consortium, please visit www.sisvel.com; www.rfidlicensing.com.
SOURCE: Sisvel US and the RFID Consortium