Intertrust announces DRM patent licensing program

Intertrust Technologies Corp. unveiled a licensing program in an effort to bridge the longstanding gap between the wireless industry and Open Mobile Alliance-supported digital rights management technology.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based developer announced a patent licensing initiative for all patents from Intertrust, Philips Royal Electronics and Sony for use with OMA-supported anti-piracy technology as well as Marlin, an interoperable DRM platform. The offering is targeted at network operators, service providers and technology vendors looking to bring mobile entertainment offerings to market.
Intertrust’s proprietary technology is included in a pool of licenses held by MPEG LA, a clearinghouse that two years ago proposed royalty rates for the OMA solution to mobile companies. Wireless carriers and technology companies objected to MPEG LA’s prices, however, and the two groups have been at odds ever since.
The result, analysts say, is a variety of non-interoperable DRM solutions that have shackled the mobile content market. But while Intertrust has moved ahead with its proprietary offering, the new initiative may be a step toward deploying a standard anti-piracy solution in the wireless world. The GSM Association approved the initiative, calling it a “first move towards providing fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing terms” for OMA-approved technology.
But while the effort may be an initial move toward adoption of a standard DRM solution, it does not offer a complete package of the OMA offering. Technology from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and ContentGuard is not included in the program but is part of MPEG LA’s patent pool.
Intertrust is offering licenses under two models: carriers and technology companies can license either solution for about 12 cents per active subscriber per year, or may purchase a “total subscriber license” for 2 cents per subscriber this year. The total subscriber license price will double by 2016, Intertrust said, and is calculated against the carrier’s total subscriber base.
“We are pleased to launch a program that provides a comprehensive license to three major patent portfolios that enable the market for open standards in digital rights management,” said Intertrust CEO Talal Shamoon. “This program fundamentally facilitates the adoption of OMA and Marlin and paves the way to major adoption of these technologies.”