DDMG (Digital Domain Media Group), anunció hace unos días que había llegado a un acuerdo con Samsung y Prime Focus en su lucha para defender las patentes que tiene en la conversión de contenidos 2D a 3D.
No he leído los detalles de las patentes, pero están relacionadas con el procedimiento de rotoscopiar elementos del original 2D y desplazarlos horizontalmente para generar los dos ojos, un procedimiento que parece trivial ahora, pero que no debería serlo tanto cuando le dieron la patente a In-Three hace ya unos años y que por tanto pertenece a DDMG desde la adquisición de In-Three en 2010.
Veremos en qué acaba todo esto, pero cuando las empresas de tecnología entran a este nivel de abogados y pleitos, no tiene pinta de acabar muy bien.
Las noticias son que tanto Samsung y Prime Focus World aceptan un acuerdo de licencia de las patentes, y les van a seguir otros, estoy seguro.
Nota de prensa:
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. & LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul. 18, 2012– Digital Domain Media Group (NYSE: DDMG) and Prime Focus World NV have signed an agreement whereby Digital Domain Media Group (DDMG) will license its 3D conversion technology to Prime Focus World. The agreement settles and terminates the patent infringement litigation action filed by DDMG against Prime Focus World in 2011. Under the agreement DDMG and Prime Focus World will collaborate on visual effects and 2D-to-3D conversion services work for feature films.
“Ultimately this was a lawsuit between two companies that enjoy working together, so we’re happy to put it behind us and resume our prior relationship with Prime Focus – one of performing high-quality VFX work collaboratively,” said John Textor, CEO and Chairman of DDMG. “We understand that Prime Focus has its own significant 3D technology and we are pleased to report, as this license suggests, that they respect ours as we respect theirs.”
“Prime Focus is dedicated to delivering the highest level of conversion to its clients. The technology that we’ve licensed from Digital Domain Media Group enhances our own robust proprietary processes and increases our efficiency for our customers. We look forward to continuing our work with DDMG on their most important VFX projects,” said Namit Malhotra, CEO and Chairman of Prime Focus World.
Through the Digital Domain Stereo Group, DDMG owns the six U.S. patents that represent the original commercially feasible computerized process for converting 2-dimensional filmed imagery into 3-dimensional stereoscopic imagery. The DDSG patents provide fundamental coverage of any modern conversion process that involves rotoscoping (i.e., computerized, semi-automatic and semi-automatic conversion with roto), and relate to any conversion process that includes horizontal image displacement/transform. In 2011, DDMG made its patent portfolio available to select companies in the broader industry through a studio-friendly licensing program. Prime Focus joins Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., which licensed DDMG’s technology in 2011 for use in its consumer electronics, components, services and software businesses.