iVast Challenges Microsoft to Work in the Best Interest of Consumers

Santa Clara, CA - In yet another barely cloaked attempt to extendits operating system monopoly to all consumer devices, Microsoft plansto undermine the most promising new audio/video industry standard,MPEG-4, noted Elliot Broadwin, CEO of iVAST a leading worldwideprovider of standards-based digital media software. Microsoft's move toundercut the license fees recently announced by MPEG-LA, the licensingbody for the MPEG-4 patent pool, is recognized generally by theindustry as designed to expand Microsoft's control of the digital mediaindustry.

"Is this in the best interests of the consumer? Have we forgottenMicrosoft's history of predatory practices?" asks Broadwin.

"This is not a time to sit back and watch Microsoft extend itsmonopoly at the cost of consumer choice just as it has done withoperating systems, web browsers, office productivity, and streamingmedia software. The interest of consumers is best served when they havechoice - which is exactly what open industry standards, like MPEG-2 andMPEG-4, are designed to provide," he added.

The claims are the same as usual. Mr. Will Poole, corporate vicepresident of Microsoft's Windows New Media Platform division said in aJanuary 7 New York Times article, "(With Microsoft)... the consumerwill have a better experience with compatibility with all thesedevices."

According to Broadwin, the MPEG-4 industry takes issue withMicrosoft's claim of compatibility. True compatibility, and the way inwhich MPEG-2 has worked with DVDs, digital cable television and digitalsatellite television, is an environment in which hundreds of companiesbuild technologies in support of that application. While any othercompany would publish open interfaces to offer these benefits toconsumers, Microsoft insists that the only way to achieve thesebenefits is to create all new content in a proprietary Microsoftformat, deliver it over Microsoft servers with Microsoft managementsoftware, and play it back on devices running Microsoft's Windows Mediasoftware. In a field where patent rights are traditionally pooled forlicensing purposes, does Microsoft plan to offer indemnification to itslicensees?

"This is about power and control. Microsoft is attempting to wrestlecontrol of the media industry away from programmers, broadcasters andnetwork operators, and in the process extend its operating systemmonopoly, stifle innovation, and eliminate competition," saidBroadwin.

"We at iVAST strongly support open standards with fair andreasonable licensing terms for digital media, and encourage everyone toremember the benefits of open industry standards for end usersworldwide," he concludes.