開放專利聯盟發出 WiMAX 專利召集
加州聖塔克拉拉6月22日電 /美通社亞洲/ —
致力于爲支持開發和採用 WiMAX 提供智慧財產權解决方案的開放專利聯盟 (Open Patent Alliance，簡稱 OPA) 今天宣布了一項專利召集，旨在創建一個涵蓋重要 WiMAX 專利的專利池 (patent pool)。OPA 已經選擇 Via Licensing Corporation 作爲代表，來推動該專利池的建立與管理。
一個 WiMAX 專利池可以幫助各種規模的企業通過簡單且具有成本效益的方式獲得所需的專利授權。OPA 計劃打造一個公平、透明且具有合理專利使用費的知識産權授權結構，創建這樣一個專利池是該計劃的重要組成部分。通過爲那些希望開發創新産品與服務的公司降低「進入門檻」，該專利池將加快 WiMAX 在全球範圍內的採用，同時爲 WiMAX 技術、設備和應用促進創新、推動更廣泛選擇和降低成本。
OPA 總裁 Yung Hahn 表示：「今天發出的專利召集是我們在尋求建立一個創新且真正開放的 WiMAX 生態系統過程中的重要里程碑。這種專利池不僅有助於降低 OPA 採用 WiMAX 技術的成本，並且還使我們能够建立一個更可預見的成本架構，供世界各地的基礎架構供應商、設備製造商和應用開發商使用。」
WiMAX 是一種基於 IEEE 802.16e 規格的 4G IP 無線寬頻技術，爲擁有豐富視頻內容和頻寬密集型應用産品的移動連網時代實現了更低成本、更快速以及更高吞吐量。
OPA 成員包括宏碁 (Acer)、阿爾卡特-朗訊 (Alcatel-Lucent)、奧維通 (Alvarion)、思科 (Cisco)、Clearwire、華爲、英特爾公司 (Intel Corporation) 和三星電子 (Samsung Electronics)，以及新公布的準成員 Beceem、GCT Semiconductor、Sequans 和 UQ Communications，體現了來自 4G 生態系統(從半導體製造商、消費設備製造商到服務供應商)的廣泛支持。
通過一種更具競爭力的專利使用費結構，WiMAX 專利池將有助於以更可預見的成本來確保産品的差異化和互操作性。這對 WiMAX 的長期成功和廣泛採用而言至關重要，讓智慧型手機、消費電子以及個人電腦等行業能够更快速地將無線寬頻整合到其産品中。
開放專利聯盟簡介
WiMAX 生態系統的成員於2008年6月建立了開放專利聯盟。目前，開放專利聯盟的成員包括宏碁 (Acer)、阿爾卡特-朗訊 (Alcatel-Lucent)、奧維通 (alvarion)、思科 (Cisco)、Clearwire、華爲、英特爾公司 (Intel Corporation) 和三星電子 (Samsung Electronics) 以及最新公布的準會員 Beceem、GCT Semiconductor、Sequans 以及 UQ Communications。多樣性的企業成員體現了來自整個 4G 生態系統（從半導體製造商、消費設備製造商、網絡設備製造商再到服務提供商）的廣泛支持。開放專利聯盟的主要目的是爲 WiMAX 技術、設備和應用創建一個專注於更廣泛選擇、更具競爭力設備與服務成本的全球生態系統。垂詢詳情，請瀏覽 http://www.openpatentalliance.com 。
The Open Patent Alliance Issues Call for WiMAX Patents
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire-Asia/ —
The Open Patent Alliance (OPA), a group dedicated to offering intellectual property rights (IPR) solutions that support the development and widespread adoption of WiMAX, today announced a call for patents, with the intention of creating a patent pool of essential WiMAX patents. The OPA has selected Via Licensing Corporation to facilitate the formation and administration of the pool on behalf of the OPA.
A WiMAX patent pool can enable companies of all sizes to access needed patent licenses in a simple and cost-effective manner. Establishing this pool is an important part of the OPA’s plans to create a fair and transparent IPR licensing structure with reasonable royalty rates. By lowering the “barriers to entry” for companies wishing to develop innovative products & services, the patent pool will accelerate the global adoption of WiMAX, simultaneously driving innovation, fostering broader choice and lowering costs for WiMAX technology, devices and applications.
“Today’s patent call is a major milestone in our quest to create an innovative and truly open WiMAX ecosystem,” said OPA President Yung Hahn. “Through the patent pool approach, not only will the OPA be able to drive down the costs of adopting WiMAX, we will be able to create a more predictable cost structure that can be accessed by infrastructure vendors, device manufacturers and application developers worldwide.”
WiMAX, a 4G IP-based wireless broadband technology based on the IEEE 802.16e specification, provides low-cost, multi-megabit speeds and greater throughput for the mobile Internet era of video-rich content and bandwidth-intensive applications.
OPA members include Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Clearwire, Huawei Technologies, Intel Corporation, and Samsung Electronics, as well as newly announced associate members Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans, and UQ Communications, underscoring broad 4G ecosystem support – from semiconductors to consumer devices to service providers.
A WiMAX patent pool will help ensure product differentiation and interoperability at a more predictable cost through a more competitive royalty structure. This is critical to the long-term success and broad adoption of WiMAX, enabling a wider array of devices from the smart phones, consumer electronics and PC industries to more quickly integrate wireless broadband into their products.
An independent third-party reviewer or “patent evaluator” will evaluate submitted patents to determine whether or not they are essential. Any entity that believes it has patents or pending patent applications that are essential to WiMAX is invited to contact Via Licensing to receive information about how to submit patents for essentiality review by the independent patent evaluator.
Parties interested in discussing the opportunity to participate in a WiMAX patent licensing program can contact Via Licensing at wimax@vialicensing.com. For complete submission information, interested parties can also email submissions@vialicensing.com. Interested parties can also visit the OPA Web site at http://www.openpatentalliance.com/patent-submission .
While the OPA will initially focus its efforts on the WiMAX standard, it may work with other industry groups in the future.
About the Open Patent Alliance
Members of the WiMAX ecosystem formed the OPA in June 2008. Current OPA members include Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Clearwire, Huawei Technologies, Intel Corporation, and Samsung Electronics, as well as newly -announced associate members Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans, and UQ Communications. The diversity of member companies demonstrates broad support throughout the entire 4G ecosystem – from semiconductor makers, to consumer device manufacturers, to network equipment companies, to service providers. The OPA’s primary goal is to foster a global ecosystem focused on broader choice, competitive equipment and service costs for WiMAX technology, devices and applications. More information can be found at http://www.openpatentalliance.com .