It looks like the DVD6C Licensing Group is gaining another new member. According to a press release sent out this morning, Samsung has joined the group, adding to its already impressive list of patents.
The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C), whose members include eight leading developers of DVD technology and formats — Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. — today announced that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SAMSUNG) joined its worldwide joint licensing program which provides manufacturers of DVD products the ability to license essential DVD patents owned by the group's members.
DVD6C has licensed essential DVD patents owned by its member companies since June 1999 (adding licensing for DVD-Recorders, DVD-Audio Players, DVD-R, -RW and -RAM Drives, DVD-Audio, -R, -RW, -and -RAM Discs and Cases in September 2003). DVD6C's licenses cover patents owned by the 6C member companies that are essential for products that comply with the DVD-format specifications defined by the DVD Forum.
If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here.