[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2447-2448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-933]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Antitrust Division


Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Researach and 
Production Act of 1993--4C Founders

    Notice is hereby given that, on November 2, 2000, pursuant to 
section 6(a) of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 
1993, 15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), 4C Founders has filed 
written notifications simultaneously with the Attorney General and the 
Federal Trade Commission disclosing (1) the identities

[[Page 2448]]

of the parties and (2) the nature and objectives of the venture. The 
notifications were filed for the purpose of invoking the Act's 
provisions limiting the recovery of antitrust plaintiffs to actual 
damages under specified circumstances. Pursuant to Section 6(b) of the 
Act, the identities of the parties are Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, 
CA; International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY; Matsushita 
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JAPAN; and Toshiba Corporation, 
Tokyo, JAPAN. The nature and objectives of the venture are to develop 
interoperable specifications or the protection of copyrighted digital 
audio and video content from unauthorized interception and copying; and 
to promote adoption of the specifications by (i) licensing them on 
reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms. (ii) providing technical 
support to adopters, content providers, and other who implement the 
specifications; (iii) generating and supplying keys for encryption and 
decryption of the digital content so protected; (iv) providing a means 
to receive comments and feedback from parties implementing the 
specifications; and (v) consulting with standards bodies, and others 
engaged in related specifications efforts, and potential users of the 
specifications. The 4C Founders' specifications will include 
information directing specific implementations only as necessary to 
enable, promote, and improve protection of digital audio and video 
content; to preserve the security of the protection method; and to 
promote interoperability of products (including information technology 
and consumers electronic devices), media which implement the 
specifications, and the means for distributing content so protected.
    In furtherance of the purposes stated above, the 4C Founders may, 
among other things, engage in theoretical analysis; experimentation; 
systematic study; research; development; testing; extension of 
investigative findings or theories of a scientific or technical nature 
into practical application for experimental and demonstration purposes; 
collection, exchange and analysis of research or production 
information; enter into agreements to carry out the objectives of the 
Founders; establish and operate facilities for conducting such venture 
conduct such venture on a protected and proprietary basis; prosecute 
applications for patents and grant licenses for the results of such 
venture; and any combination of these activities.

Constance K. Robinson,
Director of Operations, Antitrust Division.
[FR Doc. 01-933 Filed 1-10-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-11-M