Consortium Breaks Down

DVD Consortium Breaks Down?

DVD Licensing Story in LA Times

Also see the followup commentary by Dana Parker about the announcement and the LA Times article

August 4, 1996 According to a story in the Los Angeles Times ("Philips, Sony Say They'll License Video Disc Patents on Their Own" by Karen Kaplan, Aug 3, 1996), the sometimes contentious year-old agreement among ten DVD consortium members may have finally broken down. The Times story cites royalty and patent issues, but does not mention the copy protection controversy that has been cited by other sources as the biggest sticking point before a final specification is approved. Philips Key Modules president Jan Oosterveld was quoted as saying that Philips and Sony were "fed up" with the slow pace of discussions with other consortium members that is seen as delaying release of players and titles for the 1996 Christmas season.

The DVD FAQ in this website describes the technology and some of the controversies surrounding its release.

Clarification from Industry Expert

August 7, 1996 Dana Parker, Contributing Editor to the DVD Report and co-author of several books about CD-ROM and CD-Recordable has contributed an exclusive statement about the controversy to this website, disputing the LA Times' interpretation of the event.

Related Stories Online

"Parker on LA Times DVD Story" by Dana Parker, a CD Information Center exclusive, Aug 8, 1996.

"Consortium stalemate continues" by John Poultney, in MacWeek Aug 2, 1996

"Sony, Philips license DVD patents" by Margaret Kane, in PC Week Online, Aug 2, 1996