Jari Ketola
14 Feb 2002 7:45
European and North American consumers have been enjoying low cost import DVD-players for quite some time now. In addition to being cheaper than their big-brand counterparts, like Sony and Pioneer, the players are often loaded with nice features like MP3-playback and easy region-free modifications.
One of the reasons for the low prices is the fact that only a few of the Chinese manufacturers have taken care of DVD licensing. Philips, the company behind many of the key DVD patents and responsible for granting DVD licenses and collecting royalties, has had it with the "bootleg" players and discs.
Philips has begun to enforce the DVD licensing by asking the European Union Customs Authorities to impound all unlicensed DVD-players and -discs. The request is based on an EU Council Regulation that covers patent-infringing products. Even if the products manage to avoid being impounded by the customs, Philips has stated they will act against wholesale and retail traders directly for selling patent infringing products.
Source:
New Scientist