Sonicblue, MPMan Look to Secure Patents - Peter @ 17:30 EDT
MPMan.com, one of the first MP3 player manufacturers that owns patents for much of the technology, is looking to seal royalty agreements with other MP3 player manufacturers who use the patented technology. Sonicblue, which jointly holds patents for the technology used to retrieve sound on portable audio devices with MPMan.com, will help MPMan.com secure the agreements. MPMan.com acquired the patent from the Korean Intellectual Property Office in January this year. This could be a very important revenue stream for the companies, as MPMan.com expects about 50 billion won in royalties over the next three years, in the Korean market alone; however, critics argue that he U.S. has not yet permitted such patents for portable digital MP3 player technology, according to the Korea Herald.
