PARIS & BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thomson (Euronext Paris:18453) (NYSE:TMS) announced today that it has joined the ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) patent pool, established by a consortium of Japanese broadcasters and electronics companies to license the ARIB essential patents. This patent pool is managed by ULDAGE Inc., a Japanese incorporated company, and now includes 11 member companies⁽¹⁾. The patent pool will facilitate ARIB standards access for all consumer electronics companies operating in Japan. Several major Japanese companies have already taken a license from this newly established patent pool.

“Thomson is very pleased to provide access to its ARIB essential patents to companies operating in Japan in the communications, broadcasting and consumer electronics fields,” said Alfred Chaouat, Vice President, Intellectual Property and Licensing business at Thomson. “Our activities seek to encourage the expansion of strongly standardized digital technologies for the benefit of consumers.”

Thomson owns essential patents to the Digital Television (DTV) Standards deployed in Japan, known as the ARIB standards. In addition to application in the DTV arena, these standards are used in many other products such as mobile phones and car navigation systems.

“Thomson’s important contribution to the ARIB standards further enhances the incontestable value of this patent pool,” observed Yoshihide Nakamura, President and CEO of ULDAGE. “We welcome Thomson enthusiastically, and encourage other holders of ARIB essential patents to join as well.”

Thomson’s Intellectual Property and Licensing business unit is part of Thomson’s Technology division and operates in a wide range of areas across the content supply chain including CDs, DVDs, set-top boxes, HD DVDs, Digital TV, digital set-top boxes and mp3. The unit has thrived by concentrating on mass market efforts; promoting the interoperability and standardization of technologies; asserting its patents on end devices, which accumulate the most value in the media value chain; and always privileging “win/win” negotiations with its licensees. The Technology division oversees approximately 50,000 patents, in total, while Thomson is granted more than 500 new patents each year, overall.

Certain statements in this press release, including any discussion of management expectations for future periods, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements due to changes in global economic and business conditions, consumer electronics markets, and regulatory factors. More detailed information on the potential factors that could affect the financial results of Thomson is contained in Thomson's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Thomson — World Leader in Digital Video Technologies

Thomson (Euronext Paris:18453) (NYSE:TMS) provides technology, services, and systems to help its Media & Entertainment clients – content creators, content distributors and users of its technology – realize their business goals and optimize their performance in a rapidly changing technology environment. The Group is the preferred partner to the Media & Entertainment Industries through its Technicolor, Grass Valley, RCA, and Thomson brands. For more information: http://www.thomson.net.

About ULDAGE Inc.

ULDAGE Inc., located in Imperial Tower, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwai-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, is a joint venture company established by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation and Victor Company of Japan, Limited, for the purpose of promoting and administering joint license programs. ULDAGE Inc. will provide royalty operation services, license administration services and market research services necessary for administration of joint license programs.

(1) France Telecom/Teledifusion de France, Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, Thomson S.A., Toshiba Corporation, and Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.