CTT’s Second Patent Deemed Essential for MPEG-4 Technology License Pool

December 30, 2004

CTT’s Second Patent Deemed Essential for MPEG-4 Technology License Pool
Competitive Technologies, Inc. (CTT) announced on Thursday that a second of its patents has been deemed essential for companies that use the MPEG-4 Visual Standard, and has been incorporated into the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License Pool effective January 1, 2005.

According to a press release by the Company, applications of the patented technology include image/video on the Internet, wireless video, and networked video games.

The technology allows the coding of images and video with high efficiency and relatively low complexity.

The MPEG licensing administrator (MPEG LA) provides a license to those requiring the essential patent rights to MPEG-4 technology.

The MPEG-4 Patent Portfolio Licenses currently include patents owned by more than twenty companies in addition to CTT.

The intent of the patent pool is to provide users worldwide access to all MPEG-4 essential intellectual property through one organization that grants licenses and collects royalties.

Over 160 organizations currently license the MPEG-4 technology including Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Apple, Canon, Cisco, General Instrument, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, NTT and Sharp.

"The commercialization of this Lehigh-developed technology with the MPEG-4 consortium is another example of how CTT successfully works with academia, and demonstrates the experience and expertise we bring to our clients,” CTT's Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, D. J. Freed, said.

Competitive Technologies, established in 1968, is a full service technology transfer and licensing provider focused on the technology needs of its customers and transforming those requirements into commercially viable solutions.