RFID vendors Alien Technology Corp. and Matrics Inc. have both signed agreements with EPCglobal

Frontline Solutions, Feb, 2004

RFID vendors Alien Technology Corp. and Matrics Inc. have both signed agreements with EPCglobal to make core intellectual property related to the Electronic Product Code (EPC) standard available for free to other companies as part of EPCglobal's IP Policy. IP issues have remained a looming problem for the EPC movement, and some long-established RFID players have grumbled about use of their patents in the EPC protocol. EPCglobal has been sorting through the tangle of RFID patents and trying to negotiate a palatable resolution for all concerned.

In a letter announcing the signing, Matrics CEO Piyush Sodha said, "[We] strongly encourage EPCglobal to remain steadfast in its initial requirement that core specifications be royalty free--with no exceptions. Matrics believes that implementation of royalty-based options is difficult, unfair, political and counterproductive to developing a marketplace for RFID technology."

While some companies were still resistant to the idea, Alien CEO Stavro Prodromou hoped to lead by example. "We have fairly significant IP that we have contributed to Class and Class 1.2 EPC," he said. "This is not a token gesture."

www.alientechnology.com, www.matrics.com