An Interesting Article on Next-Gen DVD Formats in Europe

The New York Times has published an article which updates on the investigation whether the technology giants are stifling competition through exclusive contracts with studios and computer makers for the introduction of next-generation DVD formats.

A special mention was made about Sony's licensing practices and I quote from that article:

"But Sony deserves particular scrutiny, said Guy Marriott, the chairman of the International Optical Disc Replicators Association, which represents units of European media companies like Bertelsmann and EMI that pay companies like Sony and Toshiba to use DVD technology to produce discs."

You can read the full article by clicking here.

If you are interested in some background information on DVD Patent licensing, you could check out DVD6C Licensing Agency comprising of Toshiba, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, JVC, Time Warner, Sanyo and Sharp.

Philips, Pioneer, Sony and LG offer a seperate and independent DVD license, according to the FAQ section of the DVD6C Licensing Agency website.