Philips vs Unlicensed DVD Players

Kallahar writes "NewScientist is running an article about how Phillips, Sony, and Pioneer have "asked customs officials throughout Europe to seize players made by unlicensed factories." Philips, Sony and Pioneer have pooled many hundreds of patents covering all aspects of the DVD system. Philips administers the pool, grants licences and collects royalties, which are then shared three ways." This comes on the heals of philips going after copy protected CDs. The draw for these DVD players for consumers is probably both price, and the fact that they are often free of those pesky region encodings (especially nice for anime junkies)

Comments

Okay, so what's the problem?

[mosch]

I fail to see the issue. Some companies which created some great technologies are enforcing their legal right to get license fees for those technologies. This is how patents are SUPPOSED to work!

Where's the incentive to create if it's legal to just steal the invention and pay nothing?

Ummm...we need to strike a balance here...

[joshamania]

Saying this is contradictory to Phillips's position on copy protected CD's is not correct. Phillips going after illegal DVD manufacturers is very similar to them chafing against copy protected CD's.

Someone is using a format that they invented, have the patent on, and should for a reasonable time, have the ability to apportion the use of that patent(s) out as they will. The difference here is that the folks they are going after are making money "stealing" Phillips's technology, unlike a certain sixteen year old kid from Norway.

While I don't agree with everything they do with their patents (region encoding is complete bullshit theivery....glad I don't live in the UK and have to pay $30 per DVD), this is a relatively new technology and they do hold the patent...this is what patents are for, to keep lazy assholes from making money off you your invention for a certain period of time.

Re:Yes you get price

[Wyatt Earp]

It's not just because of the parts.

In a record player, typically there aren't as many parts that are static, humidity and voltage sensative.

Nor are there delicate bits of optical equipment with lenses and lasers and other solid state gear.

It's like comparing the amount of maintance an F-105 needed compared to an F-15. Or the Folk-Wulf crews that bitched about the work it took to keep a Me-262 flying.

My mom's Sony record player works like a charm, but it has about 1/8th the number of electrical systems a CD player has.

It's apples and oranges to compare a record player with a CD/DVD player. A better comparision would be a 1st Gen LaserDisk or one of those magneto-optical disk drives from the early 80s and a DVD player from today.