Videologic To Enforce TV-In-PC Patents

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August 27, 1999 (5:20 AM EDT)

Makers of TV tuner add-in cards for PCs and makers of PCs that incorporate TV tuners could be liable to pay license fees to Videologic on patents that the company is now seeking to enforce.

Videologic, the developer of the PowerVR 3-D graphics chip architecture and a vendor of graphics chips and PC add-in cards, has appointed QED Intellectual Property to exploit its PC/TV tuner patents, with the expectation that the agreement will be extended to other Videologic patents.

As part of the announcement of the intellectual property strategy, Videologic announced that Temic Telefunken Hichfrequenztechnik is the first company to agree to license Videologic's patents for TV-tuner technology.

"We believe that the patent portfolio is fundamental in this area, and that it is already widely used in the TV tuner card market," said Stephen Potter, commercial director at QED. "We also believe that in the future, this patent may have significant implications as the TV and PC industries converge."

"It is part of our strategy to exploit, wherever possible and at the appropriate time, our relevant patents as a further revenue source for the company," said Hossein Yassie, president and CEO of Videologic.

The annual market for TV tuner PC add-in cards in the United States is worth more than $200 million according to QED. PCs are now being sold with TV tuner cards installed.