MPEG LA, the global alternative one-stop patent licenses administrator, announced that seven DVD Video disc replicators have become Licensees to MPEG LA’s MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License in conclusion of patent enforcement actions brought by MPEG-2 patent owners in the District Court Düsseldorf, Germany.

The seven DVD disc manufacturers include CDA Datenträger Albrechts GmbH of Germany, East European Authoring and Encoding Centre Ltd. of Bulgaria, GEMA OD S.A. of Spain, GZ Digital Media a.s. of the Czech Republic, MAF Diskettes SrL of Italy, Megaus Sp. z.o.o. of Poland, and The Video Duplicating Co. Ltd. (VDC) of the United Kingdom.

“We are pleased to welcome these seven DVD Video disc replicators as Licensees to the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License” said Larry Horn, CEO of MPEG LA. “They join more than 1,300 other companies as Licensees, including the world’s leading DVD Video disc manufacturers responsible for most DVD Video discs produced in the current world market.”

Plaintiffs in the cases against the seven DVD Video disc replicators included CIF Licensing, GE Technology Development, Philips Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sony, Thomson Licensing, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, and Victor Company of Japan.

Additional enforcement actions by MPEG-2 patent owners are pending in Germany against DVD Video disc replicators Dicentia Germany GmbH, Dicentia A/S and Odeon Cineplex (formerly Digital Press Hellas), and in Denmark against Dicentia A/S.

The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License includes more than 825 MPEG-2 essential patents in 57 countries, has approximately 1,300 licensees accounting for most MPEG-2 products including set-top boxes, DVD players, digital television sets, personal computers and DVD Video Discs in the current world market.

Story filed 11.03.08