Patent holders
MPEG-LA Patents
- Alcatel-Lucent
o US 4,833,543 -- Image processing system and phaselocked loop used therein (Expired) -- Filed: December 24, 1986 Granted: May 23, 1989
o US 4,970,590 -- System and device for package multiplexing in transmission of many data flows generated by a sole algorithm -- Filed: December 21, 1989 Granted: November 13, 1990
o US 5,453,790 -- Video decoder having asynchronous operation with respect to a video display -- Filed: March 26, 1993 Granted: September 26, 1995
- British Telecommunications plc
o US 5,291,284 -- Predictive coding and decoding with error drift reduction -- Filed: July 23, 1991 Granted: March 1, 1994
- Canon Inc.
o US 4,982,270 -- Video data transmitting system -- Filed: February 3, 1989 Granted: January 1, 1991
- CIF LICENSING, LLC
o US 5,068,724 -- Adaptive motion compensation for digital television -- Filed: June 15, 1990 Granted: November 26, 1991
o US 5,091,782 -- Apparatus and method for adaptively compressing successive blocks of digital video -- Filed: April 9, 1990 Granted: February 25, 1992
o US 5,093,720 -- Motion compensation for interlaced digital television signals -- Filed: August 20, 1990 Granted: March 3, 1992
- Columbia University
o US Re 35,093 -- Systems and methods for coding even fields of interlaced video sequences -- Filed: December 9, 1994 Granted: November 21, 1995 Reissue of 05193004 Filed: Dec., 1990 Granted: Mar., 1993
- France Telecom (CNET)
o US 4,796,087 Expired
- Fujitsu
o US 5,235,618 -- Video signal coding apparatus, coding method used in the video signal coding apparatus and video signal coding transmission system having the video signal coding apparatus -- Filed: November 6, 1990 Granted: August 10, 1993
- General Electric Capital Corporation
o US 4,706,260 Expired
o US 4,813,056 Expired
- General Instrument Corp. (now the broadband division of Motorola)
o US 4,394,774 Expired
o US 4,698,672 Expired
- GE Technology Development, Inc.
o US 5,426,464 -- Field elimination apparatus for a video compression/decompression system -- Filed: October 18, 1994 Granted: June 20, 1995
o US 5,486,864 -- Differential time code method and apparatus as for a compressed video signal -- Filed: May 13, 1993 Granted: January 23, 1996
o US 5,491,516 -- Field elimination apparatus for a video compression/decompression system -- Filed: January 14, 1993 Granted: February 13, 1996
o US 5,600,376 -- Field elimination apparatus for a video compression/decompression system -- Filed: March 20, 1995 Granted: February 4, 1997
o US 5,796,743 -- Data word indicator in a system for assembling transport data packets -- Filed: November 30, 1993 Granted: August 18, 1998
- Hitachi, Ltd.
- KDDI Corporation (KDDI)
- LG Electronics Inc.
o US Re 37,057 -- Apparatus and method for converting an HDTV signal to a non-HDTV signal -- Filed: May 18, 1998 Granted: February 20, 2001 Reissue of 05519446 Filed: Nov., 1994 Granted: May., 1996
o US Re 37,568 -- Inverse Quantizer -- Filed: March 31, 1999 Granted: March 5, 2002 Reissue of 05617094 Filed: Nov., 1993 Granted: Apr., 1997
- Matsushita
o US Re 35,910 -- Moving image signal encoding apparatus and decoding apparatus -- Filed: May 12, 1994 Granted: September 29, 1998 Reissue of 05113255 Filed: May., 1990 Granted: May., 1992
o US Re 36,015 -- Apparatus and method for processing groups of fields in a video data compression system -- Filed: October 2, 1995 Granted: December 29, 1998 Reissue of 05293229 Filed: Mar., 1992 Granted: Mar., 1994
o US Re 36,507 -- Apparatus and method for processing groups of fields in a video data compression system to encode a single frame as an I-field and a P-field -- Filed: October 21, 1997 Granted: January 18, 2000 Reissue of 05293229 Filed: Mar., 1992 Granted: Mar., 1994
o US Re 39,276 -- Method for determining motion compensation -- Filed: April 27, 2000 Granted: September 12, 2006 Reissue of 05745182 Filed: Jul., 1994 Granted: Apr., 1998
o US Re 39,278 -- Method for determining motion compensation -- Filed: April 13, 2001 Granted: September 12, 2006 Reissue of 05745182 Filed: Jul., 1994 Granted: Apr., 1998
o US Re 39,280 -- Method for determining motion compensation -- Filed: May 30, 2001 Granted: September 12, 2006 Reissue of 05745182 Filed: Jul., 1994 Granted: Apr., 1998
o US 5,223,949 -- Coding means for a signal processing system -- Filed: April 17, 1992 Granted: June 29, 1993
o US 5,412,430 -- Image coding method and image coding apparatus -- Filed: May 4, 1994 Granted: May 2, 1995
o US 5,784,107 -- Method and apparatus for picture coding and method and apparatus for picture decoding -- Filed: January 23, 1996 Granted: July 21, 1998
- Mitsubishi
o US 4,954,892 -- Buffer controlled picture signal encoding and decoding system -- Filed: October 4, 1989 Granted: September 4, 1990
o US 5,072,295 -- Adaptive quantization coder/decoder with limiter circuitry -- Filed: August 20, 1990 Granted: December 10, 1991
o US 5,268,846 -- Method and apparatus for nonsequential multimedia data interchange in a data processing system -- Filed: April 10, 1991 Granted: December 7, 1993
o US 5,949,489 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: July 31, 1998 Granted: September 7, 1999
o US 5,963,258 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: July 31, 1998 Granted: October 5, 1999
o US 5,970,175 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: October 26, 1998 Granted: October 19, 1999
o US 5,990,960 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: December 9, 1998 Granted: November 23, 1999
o US 6,002,439 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: May 27, 1999 Granted: December 14, 1999
o US 6,097,759 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: November 22, 1999 Granted: August 1, 2000
o US 6,188,794 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: May 20, 1999 Granted: February 13, 2001
o US 6,307,973 -- Image signal coding system -- Filed: December 4, 2000 Granted: October 23, 2001
- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)
- NXP
- Philips
o US 4,849,812 Expired
o US 4,901,075 Expired
o US 5,021,879 -- System for transmitting video pictures -- Filed: September 24, 1990 Granted: June 4, 1991
o US 5,027,206 -- High-definition television systems -- Filed: September 13, 1989 Granted: June 25, 1991
o US 5,128,758 -- Method and apparatus for digitally processing a high definition television augmentation signal -- Filed: June 2, 1989 Granted: July 7, 1992
o US 5,179,442 -- Method and apparatus for digitally processing a high definition television augmentation signal -- Filed: November 26, 1990 Granted: January 12, 1993
o US 5,333,135 -- Identification of a data stream transmitted as a sequence of packets -- Filed: February 1, 1993 Granted: July 26, 1994
o US 5,606,539 -- Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding an audio and/or video signal, and a record carrier for use with such apparatus -- Filed: August 31, 1994 Granted: February 25, 1997
o US 5,608,697 -- Record carrier containing an audio and/or video signal which has been encoded and includes a decoder delay time parameter indicating a time delay for one or more portions of the signal -- Filed: March 18, 1996 Granted: March 4, 1997
o US 5,740,310 -- Method of maintaining display continuity from a CD with slow-motion or freeze capability -- Filed: June 28, 1994 Granted: April 14, 1998
o US 5,844,867 -- Methods and apparatus for encoding and decoding an audio and/or video signal, and a record carrier used therewith or produced therefrom -- Filed: September 9, 1996 Granted: December 1, 1998
- Robert Bosch GmbH
- Samsung
o US 5,461,421 -- Encoding and decoding method and apparatus thereof -- Filed: November 29, 1993 Granted: October 24, 1995
o US 5,467,086 -- Apparatus and method of coding/decoding video data -- Filed: June 18, 1993 Granted: November 14, 1995
o US 5,654,706 -- System for variable length decoding digital transmission data which has been compressed by selecting a scanning pattern -- Filed: December 18, 1996 Granted: August 5, 1997
o US 6,680,975 -- Signal encoding and decoding system and method -- Filed: November 2, 2000 Granted: January 20, 2004
o US 7,292,657 -- Signal compressing signal -- Filed: July 3, 2003 Granted: November 6, 2007
- Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
- Scientific Atlanta
o US 5,418,782 -- Methods and apparatus for providing virtual service selection in a multi-service communications system -- Filed: January 6, 1994 Granted: May 23, 1995
o US 5,420,866 -- Methods for providing conditional access information to decoders in a packet-based multiplexed communications system -- Filed: March 29, 1994 Granted: May 30, 1995
o US 5,457,701 -- Method for indicating packet errors in a packet-based multi-hop communications system -- Filed: January 6, 1994 Granted: October 10, 1995
- Sharp
- Sony
o US 4,864,393 -- Motion vector estimation in television images -- Filed: May 31, 1988 Granted: September 5, 1989 Expired
o US Re 37,222 -- Video signal transmitting system -- Filed: July 19, 1994 Granted: June 12, 2001 Reissue of 05132792 Filed: Oct., 1990 Granted: Jul., 1992
o US 5,191,436 -- Method for recording coded motion picture data -- Filed: April 30, 1991 Granted: March 2, 1993
o US 5,291,486 -- Data multiplexing apparatus and multiplexed data demultiplexing apparatus -- Filed: August 7, 1992 Granted: March 1, 1994
o US 5,298,991 -- Variable length coding apparatus and method for motion vector -- Filed: July 24, 1992 Granted: March 29, 1994
o US 5,343,248 -- Moving image compressing and recording medium and moving image data encoder and decoder -- Filed: July 16, 1992 Granted: August 30, 1994
o US 5,428,396 -- Variable length coding/decoding method for motion vectors -- Filed: December 27, 1993 Granted: June 27, 1995
o US 5,461,420 -- Apparatus for coding and decoding a digital video signal derived from a motion picture film source -- Filed: September 17, 1993 Granted: October 24, 1995
o US 5,481,553 -- Methods and apparatus for preventing rounding errors when transform coefficients representing a motion picture signal are inversely transformed -- Filed: February 28, 1994 Granted: January 2, 1996
o US 5,510,840 -- Methods and devices for encoding and decoding frame signals and recording medium therefor -- Filed: May 15, 1995 Granted: April 23, 1996
o US 5,539,466 -- Efficient coding apparatus for picture signal and decoding apparatus therefor -- Filed: September 26, 1994 Granted: July 23, 1996
o US 5,543,847 -- Picture coding and decoding method for random accessing -- Filed: December 13, 1993 Granted: August 6, 1996
o US 5,559,557 -- Motion video coding with adaptive precision for DC component coefficient quantization and variable length coding -- Filed: September 28, 1993 Granted: September 24, 1996
o US 5,663,763 -- Picture signal encoding method and apparatus and picture signal decoding method and apparatus -- Filed: October 18, 1993 Granted: September 2, 1997
o US 5,666,461 -- High efficiency encoding and decoding of picture signals and recording medium containing same -- Filed: May 30, 1995 Granted: September 9, 1997
o US 5,701,164 -- Macroblock coding including difference between motion vectors -- Filed: December 19, 1996 Granted: December 23, 1997
o US 5,946,042 -- Macroblock coding including difference between motion vectors -- Filed: July 2, 1997 Granted: August 31, 1999
o US 5,982,437 -- Coding method and system, and decoding method and system -- Filed: October 15, 1993 Granted: November 9, 1999
o US 6,040,863 -- Method of coding and decoding motion vector and apparatus therefor, and method of coding and decoding picture signal and apparatus therefor -- Filed: December 18, 1998 Granted: March 21, 2000
o US 6,160,849 -- Selectable field and frame based predictive video coding -- Filed: May 30, 1995 Granted: December 12, 2000
- Thomson Licensing S.A.
o US 4,800,432 Expired
o US 4,969,055 Expired
o US 5,289,276 -- Method and apparatus for conveying compressed video data over a noisy communication channel -- Filed: June 19, 1992 Granted: February 22, 1994
o US 5,365,272 -- Method for formatting compressed video data into transport cells -- Filed: July 2, 1993 Granted: November 15, 1994
o US 5,381,181 -- Clock recovery apparatus as for a compressed video signal -- Filed: May 13, 1993 Granted: January 10, 1995
o US 5,422,676 -- System for coding an image representative signal -- Filed: October 22, 1993 Granted: June 6, 1995
o US 5,442,400 -- Error concealment apparatus for MPEG-like video data -- Filed: April 29, 1993 Granted: August 15, 1995
o US 5,459,789 -- Packet TV program component detector -- Filed: April 22, 1994 Granted: October 17, 1995
o US 5,483,287 -- Method for forming transport cells for conveying compressed video data -- Filed: August 3, 1994 Granted: January 9, 1996
o US 5,565,923 -- Apparatus for formatting a digital signal to include multiple time stamps for system synchronization -- Filed: August 22, 1995 Granted: October 15, 1996
o US 5,784,110 -- Data processor for assembling transport data packets -- Filed: May 23, 1996 Granted: July 21, 1998
o US 7,020,204 -- Adaptive method of encoding and decoding a series of pictures by transformation, and devices for implementing this method -- Filed: February 8, 2002 Granted: March 28, 2006
- Toshiba
o US 5,317,397 -- Predictive coding using spatial-temporal filtering and plural motion vectors -- Filed: May 29, 1992 Granted: May 31, 1994
o US 5,424,779 -- Video coding apparatus -- Filed: November 24, 1993 Granted: June 13, 1995
o US 5,467,136 -- Video decoder for determining a motion vector from a scaled vector and a difference vector -- Filed: February 17, 1994 Granted: November 14, 1995
o US 5,742,344 -- Motion compensated video decoding method and system for decoding a coded video signal using spatial and temporal filtering -- Filed: April 3, 1996 Granted: April 21, 1998
o US 5,986,713 -- Video coding apparatus using inter-field prediction -- Filed: June 11, 1998 Granted: November 16, 1999
- Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC).
o US Re 34,965 -- Inter-frame predictive encoding system with encoded and transmitted prediction error -- Filed: January 14, 1993 Granted: June 13, 1995 Reissue of 04985768 Filed: Jan., 1990 Granted: Jan., 1991
o US Re 35,158 -- Apparatus for adaptive inter-frame predictive encoding of video signal -- Filed: December 28, 1992 Granted: February 20, 1996 Reissue of 04982285 Filed: Apr., 1990 Granted: Jan., 1991
o US Re 36,822 -- Moving image signal coding apparatus and coded signal decoding apparatus -- Filed: October 2, 1998 Granted: August 15, 2000 Reissue of 05748784 Filed: Jan., 1996 Granted: May., 1998
o US 5,103,307 -- Interframe predictive coding/decoding system for varying interval between independent frames -- Filed: January 18, 1991 Granted: April 7, 1992
o US 5,175,618 -- Compression method for interlace moving image signals -- Filed: October 30, 1991 Granted: December 29, 1992
Non-MPEG-LA Patents
- Alcatel-Lucent
o US 5,341,457 -- Perceptual coding of audio signals -- Filed: August 20, 1993 Granted: August 23, 1994
o US RE39,080 -- Rate loop processor for perceptual encoder/decoder -- Filed: August 13, 2002 Granted: April 25, 2006 Reissue of 05627938 Filed: Sep., 1994 Granted: May., 1997
- Audio MPEG, Inc 108
o US 4,972,484 -- Method of transmitting or storing masked sub-band coded audio signals -- Filed: July 21, 1988 Granted: November 20, 1990 109
o US 5,214,678 -- Digital transmission system using subband coding of a digital signal -- Filed: May 31, 1990 Granted: May 25, 1993 110
o US 5,323,396 -- Digital transmission system, transmitter and receiver for use in the transmission system -- Filed: December 21, 1992 Granted: June 21, 1994 111
o US 5,539,829 -- Subband coded digital transmission system using some composite signals -- Filed: June 7, 1995 Granted: July 23, 1996 112
o US 5,606,618 -- Subband coded digital transmission system using some composite signals -- Filed: December 27, 1993 Granted: February 25, 1997 113
o US 5,530,655 -- Digital sub-band transmission system with transmission of an additional signal -- Filed: June 6, 1995 Granted: June 25, 1996 114
o US 5,777,992 -- Decoder for decoding and encoded digital signal and a receiver comprising the decoder -- Filed: June 7, 1995 Granted: July 7, 1998 115
o US 6,289,308 -- Encoded wideband digital transmission signal and record carrier recorded with such a signal -- Filed: March 8, 2000 Granted: September 11, 2001 116
o US 5,481,643 -- Transmitter, receiver and record carrier for transmitting/receiving at least a first and a second signal component -- Filed: April 24, 1995 Granted: January 2, 1996 117
o US 5,544,247 -- Transmission and reception of a first and a second main signal component -- Filed: October 25, 1994 Granted: August 6, 1996 118
o US 5,610,985 -- Digital 3-channel transmission of left and right stereo signals and a center signal -- Filed: January 21, 1994 Granted: March 11, 1997 119
o US 5,740,317 -- Process for finding the overall monitoring threshold during a bit-rate-reducing source coding -- Filed: August 30, 1995 Granted: April 14, 1998 120
o US 5,878,080 -- N-channel transmission, compatible with 2-channel transmission and 1-channel transmission -- Filed: February 7, 1997 Granted: March 2, 1999 121
o US 5,960,037 -- Encoding of a plurality of information signals -- Filed: April 9, 1997 Granted: September 28, 1999 122
o US 5,991,715 -- Perceptual audio signal subband coding using value classes for successive scale factor differences -- Filed: August 31, 1995 Granted: November 23, 1999 123
o US 6,023,490 -- Encoding apparatus for encoding a plurality of information signals -- Filed: April 9, 1997 Granted: February 8, 2000 124
- Thomson 125
o US 4,821,260 Expired 126
o US 4,942,607 Expired 127
o US 5,214,742 -- Method for transmitting a signal -- Filed: October 1, 1990 Granted: May 25, 1993 128
o US 5,227,990 -- Process for transmitting and receiving a signal -- Filed: January 17, 1992 Granted: July 13, 1993 129
o US 5,384,811 -- Method for the transmission of a signal -- Filed: August 24, 1992 Granted: January 24, 1995 130
o US 5,736,943 -- Method for determining the type of coding to be selected for coding at least two signals -- Filed: May 31, 1996 Granted: April 7, 1998 131
o US 5,455,833 -- Process for the detecting of errors in the transmission of frequency-coded digital signals -- Filed: April 26, 1993 Granted: October 3, 1995 132
o US 5,559,834 -- Method of reducing crosstalk in processing of acoustic or optical signals -- Filed: April 15, 1994 Granted: September 24, 1996 133
o US 5,321,729 -- Method for transmitting a signal -- Filed: April 26, 1993 Granted: June 14, 1994 134
o US 5,706,309 -- Process for transmitting and/or storing digital signals of multiple channels -- Filed: May 2, 1995 Granted: January 6, 1998 135
o US 5,701,346 -- Method of coding a plurality of audio signals -- Filed: September 12, 1996 Granted: December 23, 1997 136
o US 5,742,735 -- Digital adaptive transformation coding method -- Filed: August 25, 1994 Granted: April 21, 1998 137
o US 5,812,672 -- Method for reducing data in the transmission and/or storage of digital signals of several dependent channels -- Filed: December 15, 1994 Granted: September 22, 1998 138
o US 5,579,430 -- Digital encoding process -- Filed: January 26, 1995 Granted: November 26, 1996 139
o US 6,185,539 -- Process of low sampling rate digital encoding of audio signals -- Filed: May 26, 1998 Granted: February 6, 2001 140
o US 6,009,399 -- Method and apparatus for encoding digital signals employing bit allocation using combinations of different threshold models to achieve desired bit rates -- Filed: April 16, 1997 Granted: December 28, 1999 141
o US 5,924,060 -- Digital coding process for transmission or storage of acoustical signals by transforming of scanning values into spectral coefficients -- Filed: March 20, 1997 Granted: July 13, 1999 142
o US 5,703,999 -- Process for reducing data in the transmission and/or storage of digital signals from several interdependent channels -- Filed: November 18, 1996 Granted: December 30, 1997 143
According to the MPEG-LA Licensing Agreement MPEG-LA, any use of MPEG-2 technology is subject to royalties.
- Encoders are subject to a royalty of $2.50 per unit.
- Decoders are subject to a royalty of $2.50 per unit.
- Royalty-based sales of encoders and decoders are subject to different rules and $2.50 per unit.
- Also, any packaged medium (DVDs/Data Streams) is subject to licence fees according to length of recording/broadcast.
In the case of free software such as VLC media player (which uses the ffmpeg library) and in which the software is not sold, the end-user bears the royalty.