OCAP/TRU2WAY
Frequently Asked Questions
A license for OCAP essential patents needs to be obtained by the following categories of entities:
- Manufacturers of consumer devices which allow reception of OCAP compliant services or programming
- Entities providing television services which include OCAP services or OCAP programming against subscription
Entities involved in the development of tools and equipment which allow production of OCAP content do not need to take a license.
Licensee's products that enable reception or operation of OCAP compliant applications for use by individuals fall within the scope of the license. Licensee's products that are not end-user products are not within the scope of the license and would require that the party incorporating such a component or implementation into its end-user products obtain its own license.
The joint patent license agreement available from Via covers any and all patents of the licensors that are essential to the OpenCable Applications Platform ("OCAP") specification OC-SP-OCAP 1.0 and certain additional normative references which are listed in an appendix to the patent license agreement. The objective of the OCAP Standard is to define the interface between a digital TV receiver and the network it is to be connected to in order to support deployment of interactive services capable of running over multiple platforms.
Who are the licensors participating in the OCAP 1.0 Licensing Program?
The list of licensed patents will be included in the OCAP patent license agreement. The license will be made available upon request from September 6, 2006.
Fees for the OCAP patent licenses are presented, here.
The term of the license is five years.
A sample of the OCAP patent license agreement may be obtained by completing the online request form. Request a sample OCAP license.
After your review of the sample agreement, Via Licensing staff is available to answer any questions that you may have. When you are ready to execute the agreement, Via will prepare two hard copies of the OCAP Patent License Agreement with your company information added to the cover page and signature page. These copies will be shipped via courier for execution. When both copies are signed and returned to Via, they will be countersigned by the licensing agent Via Licensing Corporation and one copy returned to the licensee while the second copy is retained for Via's records. The initial fee is due within four weeks of the final execution, and as long as the licensee complies with the conditions of the license, the license remains in effect for a five-year term.
Licensees are required to report the sales of licensed products on a quarterly basis, using a secure website. Information requested includes notably the unit volume of each product sold, and the product's country of manufacture and country of sale.
Licensees receive an agreement that has been executed by themselves and by Via Licensing acting in its capacity as an agent on behalf of the licensors. There are no additional deliverables (such as source code, compliance testing, or technical support) under the OCAP patent licensing program.
These answers to frequently-asked-questions are provided to explain the licensing program. The terms and conditions governing the license are provided in the license agreement.