DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MPEG LA, LLC, world leader in alternative one-stop patent licenses, today announced that Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG, Lidl Dienstleistung GmbH & Co. KG and affiliates ("Lidl") have entered into the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License offered by MPEG LA. Under the License with MPEG LA, Lidl is responsible for paying royalties on its own branded MPEG-2 products.

As a result of this agreement, several companies that license their essential MPEG-2 patents through MPEG LA have withdrawn patent enforcement actions pending before the District Court Düsseldorf, Germany.

MPEG LA, LLC

MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses, enabling users to acquire worldwide patent rights necessary for a technology standard or platform from multiple patent owners in a single transaction as an alternative to negotiating individual licenses. Wherever an independently administered one-stop patent license would provide a convenient marketplace alternative to assist users with implementation of their technology choices, the licensing model pioneered and employed by MPEG LA may provide a solution. By balancing patent users' interest in reasonable access with patent owners' interest in reasonable return, MPEG LA creates the opportunity for adoption of new technologies and fuels innovation. MPEG LA's initial licensing program for MPEG-2 digital video compression helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history, and the MPEG LA^® Licensing Model has become the template for addressing other technologies. Today MPEG LA manages licensing programs consisting of essential patents in 70 countries. For more information, please refer to http://www.mpegla.com.

Contacts

MPEG LA, LLC
Tom O'Reilly
Tel: 303-200-1710
Fax: 301-986-8575
toreilly@mpegla.com