Antitrust investigation into DVD replacement formats

Antitrust experts in the European Union will examine the licensing terms for Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs.

An EU spokesman said in a letter earlier this month that producers of DVD-replacement formats were informed in a letter that they needed to inform antitrust experts about the details of the licensing terms and further information. The investigation will only start if something infringing is found or a complaint is received in the case.

The HD-DVD format is a development of Toshiba, which was introduced in the United States back in April and is supported by major companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Universal Studios, among others.

Blu-ray Discs is the responsibility of a consortium led by Sony, which includes Philips, Samsung and Sharp. It premiered last month in the U.S., with sponsors including 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwin-Mayer, as well as Disney. More than a hundred companies license this technology, including Hitachi, Pioneer, Samsung, LG and TDK.