Sisvel News

March 16, 2007: Milpitas, CA, Turin, Italy, and Alexandria, VA. - SanDisk Corporation has acquired a patent license for the use of the MPEG Audio technology from SISVEL S.p.A and its U.S. subsidiary, Audio MPEG, Inc. Under the license, SanDisk is licensed to sell products using the patented MPEG Audio compression technology developed by France Telecom, Telediffusion De France, Philips Electronics, and the Institut fur Rundfunktechnik (the Research and Development laboratory of the German speaking Broadcasters). In light of the license agreement, the parties have agreed to dismiss the litigation and administrative proceedings pending between them.

According to Daniel Schreiber, SanDisk’s Vice President and General Manager, Audio and Business Unit, “The agreement with Sisvel and Audio MPEG covers all of SanDisk’s music players for now and into the future.” Mr Schreiber also stated that “SanDisk is pleased to have joined the licensing program and values the technology that becomes available under the agreement, as it increases our flexibility for an expanding line of audio/video products. The parties have had their differences, but this agreement moves them forward in the right direction.”

“The decision by SanDisk to take a patent license from Sisvel and Audio MPEG again clearly illustrates the success and importance of MPEG Audio in the field of audio compression and confirms the industry’s appreciation of the research and development behind MPEG Audio technology covered by the patents we are licensing” said General Richard Neal, USMC (Ret), President of Audio MPEG. By taking a license, SanDisk has joined over 800 other companies that are licensed on these patents for MP3 players and other products using MPEG Audio compression technology.