Pool for patent royalties

Nearly 20 providers of RFID technology have announced plans to form an Intellectual Property (IP) licencing consortium. This will help to resolve the ongoing confusion over radio frequency identification patents and make it easier for vendors to licence patents, reduce risks for end-users and provide a convenient way for patent holders to manage their IP.

The objective is to licence intellectual property on a Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory (RAND) basis. The companies proposing the formation of the pool believe this will keep the cost of RFID equipment down, fostering adoption, and provide a way for companies to be compensated for their IP.

The official members so far are Alien Technology, Applied Wireless Identifications Group (AWID), Avery Dennison, Moore Wallace (owned by global printing company RR Donnelley), Symbol Technologies, ThingMagic, Tyco Fire & Security and Zebra Technologies.