The Open Patent Alliance Issues Call for WiMAX Patents

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Patent Call is Critical Step to Create Fair and Transparent IPR
Licensing Structure to Drive Global 4G Adoption

Via Licensing Corporation Selected as Patent Pool Administrator

The Open Patent Alliance (OPA), a group dedicated to offering intellectual
property rights (IPR) solutions that support the development and widespread
adoption of WiMAX, today announced a call for patents, with the intention of
creating a patent pool of essential WiMAX patents. The OPA has selected Via
Licensing Corporation to facilitate the formation and administration of the
pool on behalf of the OPA.

A WiMAX patent pool can enable companies of all sizes to access needed
patent licenses in a simple and cost-effective manner. Establishing this pool
is an important part of the OPA’s plans to create a fair and transparent IPR
licensing structure with reasonable royalty rates. By lowering the "barriers to
entry" for companies wishing to develop innovative products & services, the
patent pool will accelerate the global adoption of WiMAX, simultaneously
driving innovation, fostering broader choice and lowering costs for WiMAX
technology, devices and applications.

"Today’s patent call is a major milestone in our quest to create an
innovative and truly open WiMAX ecosystem," said OPA President Yung Hahn.
"Through the patent pool approach, not only will the OPA be able to drive down
the costs of adopting WiMAX, we will be able to create a more predictable cost
structure that can be accessed by infrastructure vendors, device manufacturers
and application developers worldwide."

WiMAX, a 4G IP-based wireless broadband technology based on the IEEE
802.16e specification, provides low-cost, multi-megabit speeds and greater
throughput for the mobile Internet era of video-rich content and
bandwidth-intensive applications.

OPA members include Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Clearwire,
Huawei Technologies, Intel Corporation, and Samsung Electronics, as well as
newly announced associate members Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans, and UQ
Communications, underscoring broad 4G ecosystem support – from semiconductors
to consumer devices to service providers.

A WiMAX patent pool will help ensure product differentiation and
interoperability at a more predictable cost through a more competitive royalty
structure. This is critical to the long-term success and broad adoption of
WiMAX, enabling a wider array of devices from the smart phones, consumer
electronics and PC industries to more quickly integrate wireless broadband into
their products.

An independent third-party reviewer or "patent evaluator" will evaluate
submitted patents to determine whether or not they are essential. Any entity
that believes it has patents or pending patent applications that are essential
to WiMAX is invited to contact Via Licensing to receive information about how
to submit patents for essentiality review by the independent patent evaluator.

Parties interested in discussing the opportunity to participate in a WiMAX
patent licensing program can contact Via Licensing at wimax@vialicensing.com.
For complete submission information, interested parties can also email
submissions@vialicensing.com. Interested parties can also visit the OPA Web
site at www.openpatentalliance.com/patent-submission.

While the OPA will initially focus its efforts on the WiMAX standard, it
may work with other industry groups in the future.

About the Open Patent Alliance
Members of the WiMAX ecosystem formed the OPA in June 2008. Current OPA
members include Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Clearwire, Huawei
Technologies, Intel Corporation, and Samsung Electronics, as well as newly
-announced associate members Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans, and UQ
Communications. The diversity of member companies demonstrates broad support
throughout the entire 4G ecosystem – from semiconductor makers, to consumer
device manufacturers, to network equipment companies, to service providers. The
OPA’s primary goal is to foster a global ecosystem focused on broader choice,
competitive equipment and service costs for WiMAX technology, devices and
applications. More information can be found at www.openpatentalliance.com

SOURCE: Open Patent Alliance

CONTACT: Jay Nichols of Sterling Communications,
+1-415-992-3210,
jnichols@sterlingpr.com,

for Open Patent Alliance