 SmartRight
Content Protection System
Demonstrates World’s First Fully Functional
SmartRight Copy Protection System for Digital Home Networks
 Las
Vegas, Nevada — January 9, 2003 —
SmartRightTM today announced it would demonstrate a complete smart-card
based end-to-end digital content protection system for home-networked consumer
electronics devices at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show.
The SmartRight pavilion will be located in booth 31167 in the South Hall
of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The demonstrations will show how usage rights associated to content are
enforced on a digital home network comprising a set-top box, a hard disk
drive and a TV set linked together over IEEE 1394.
Member companies participating in the initiative and exhibiting in the SmartRight
Pavilion include Canal+ Technologies, Gemplus, Micronas, Nagravision, Pioneer,
SchlumbergerSema, STMicroelectronics, SCM Microsystems, and Thomson.
“The initiative has gained and continues to gain rapid momentum and acceptance,
highlighted recently by SCM joining the initiative last month,” said Olivier
Lafaye, General Manager, Innovation Projects at Thomson. “Since publicly
launching the initiative more than a year ago, we have collectively driven
SmartRight to a position of realization in home networking digital content
protection, the result of which can be seen at the extended pavilion at
this year’s show.“
SmartRight offers a complete solution to answer the need for copy protection
and content management on digital home networks. Combined with Conditional
Access (CA) and Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems, to which it is
complementary, SmartRight offers a persistent end-to-end content protection
solution that will enable content owners and content distributors to create
value-added business models, to the benefit of consumers.
SmartRight can also coexist and work with all other current copy protection
systems. SmartRight is based on the use of removable security modules, such
as smart cards, which provide a cost-effective and renewable solution to
protect content against hacking.
The new copy protection system has been proposed to the Digital Video Broadcasting
(DVB) ad-hoc group on Copy Protection Technology which is currently defining
technical requirements for content protection in digital home entertainment
networks, which include devices such as TV sets, set-top boxes, DVD players,
digital video recorders, and PCs.
SmartRight is a global system deployable in any region of the world. It
accepts content from any kind of source, including free-to-air and pre-recorded
content. The specification defines a common syntax for SmartRight content
to ensure interoperability and defines a simple application program interface
(API) with current main CA and DRM systems.
The SmartRight system was first designed and developed by Thomson with the
support of technology partners wishing to jointly develop and promote digital
copy protection.
For more information on SmartRight, visit www.smartright.org or contact
Solene Jaboulet (+33 6 81 48 70 51 / solene.jaboulet@thomson.net
)
About DVB
The Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) is an industry-led consortium
of over 300 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers,
regulatory bodies and others in over 40 countries, committed to designing
global standards for the delivery of digital television and data services.
For more information about DVB: http://www.dvb.org
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements based
on SmartRight supporters’ current expectations and beliefs are subject to
a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements due,
among other things, to changes in technological advancements and innovations
in the consumer electronics industry, business conditions, competitive markets
and regulatory factors.
SmartRight Member Companies
Canal+Technologies
CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES is a leading international provider of interactive TV
software solutions offering a range of flexible open standard solutions
to broadcasters and digital operators around the world. CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES
powers more than 15 million set-top boxes which are deployed on every continent
on cable, satellite and digital terrestrial networks. Over 30 digital operators
and broadcasters have already deployed its interactive TV middleware MEDIAHIGHWAY
and the conditional access system MEDIAGUARD, including CANALSATELLITE in
France, SUREWEST in the United States, Astro Measat and ZeeTV in Asia, to
deliver true interactive applications that are changing the perception of
what consumers can expect of TV. CANAL+Group, Sun Microsystems, Sony, Thomson
multimedia and Sogecable are equity and strategic partners in CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES.
For more information: http://www.canalplus-technologies.com.
Media contact: Marie-Vincente Pasdeloup, +33 1 71 71 5632 or mvp@canal-plus.fr
Gemplus
GEMPLUS is the world\'s leading provider of smart card solutions.
Gemplus helps its clients offer an exceptional range of portable, personalized
solutions that bring security and convenience to people\'s lives. These
include mobile internet access, inter-operable banking facilities, e-commerce
and a wealth of other applications. Gemplus is the only completely dedicated,
truly global player in the Smart Card industry, with the largest R&D team,
unrivalled experience, and an outstanding track record of technological
innovation. In 2001, Gemplus was the worldwide smart card leader in both
revenue and total smart card shipments (source: Gartner-Dataquest, Frost
and Sullivan, BNP Paribas). Gemplus was also awarded Frost and Sullivan\'s
2002 Market Value Award for its exceptional performance. Gemplus trades
its shares on Euronext Paris S.A. First Market and on the NasdaqTM Stock
Market as GEMP in the form of ADSs. Its revenue in 2001 was 1 billion Euros.
For more information on Gemplus please visit www.gemplus.com
Micronas
Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN, Neuer Markt Frankfurt: MNSN), a semiconductor
company group with worldwide operations, is a leading supplier of cutting-edge
IC and sensor system solutions for consumer electronics, multimedia and
automotive electronics. The holding is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland).
Currently, the Micronas group employs about 1600 people. In 2001, it generated
over CHF 566 Million in sales. For more information on Micronas and its
products, please contact Iris Bahr +49 761 517 2324, email media@micronas.com
or visit www.micronas.com
Nagravision
Nagravision is a leading provider of open conditional access, advanced management
tools and integrated solutions for cable, satellite, terrestrial and MMDS,
FTTH and xDSL operators worldwide. Its advanced solutions provide digital
TV operators and content providers with the tools to operate and manage
a range of interactive broadband services that include e-commerce, interactive
program guides and multimedia-on-demand including VOD. Nagravision\'s digital
and analog conditional access technologies are currently being utilized
by leading operators worldwide representing over 35 million digital and
analog subscribers. Nagravision is a division of the Switzerland-based Kudelski
Group (SWX \"KUD\") and has offices in the United States, Singapore, Shanghai,
Brazil, India, Spain, the UK, Italy and Switzerland. Kudelski began developing
and marketing professional audio equipment (Nagra Audio) in 1951. Since
then, Kudelski Group has developed into an enterprise with a workforce of
more than 1,000 staff. The group\'s total turnover for 2001 amounted to
CHF 455 million with a net return of CHF 72 million. For more information
on Nagravision please visit www.nagra.com
Pioneer
With sales of 669 billion Yen in 2002 and 31,000 employees, Pioneer Corporation
is a world leader in electronics products for the home, commerce and industry,
respected for its role in introducing such innovations as interactive cable
TV, GPS car navigation, DVD, plasma display, organic electroluminescent
(OEL) display and digital broadcast settop box. The Pioneer Group is evolving
as an entertainment-creating company by enhancing fun, convenience and comfort.
In keeping with Pioneer’s philosophy to “Move the Heart and Touch the Soul,”
this vision keeps the Company firmly focused on customer and shareholder
satisfaction. For more information on Pioneer please visit www.pioneer.co.jp/index-e.html
SchlumbergerSema
SchlumbergerSema is one of two business segments of Schlumberger Limited,
a global technology services company. With more than 30,000 employees serving
customers in 65 countries, SchlumbergerSema aggregates IT consulting, systems
integration, managed services and related products to the oil and gas, telecommunications,
energy and utilities, finance, transport and public sector markets. Leveraging
the Schlumberger DeXa* Suite of Services, it also provides IP network connectivity,
information security solutions, distributed computing support services and
data center hosting services. In 2001, Schlumberger revenues were $14.3
billion. For more information please visit www.slb.com
SCM Microsystems
SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of solutions that open the Digital
World by enabling people to conveniently access digital content and services.
SCM\'s Security business provides smart card reader technology for the PC
platform and conditional access modules for the digital TV platform to OEM
customers in the government, financial, enterprise and broadcasting markets
worldwide. The Company\'s Digital Media and Video business provides hardware,
software and silicon solutions for creating and sharing digital media content
to the worldwide retail market under the Dazzle brand. Global headquarters
are in Fremont, California, with European headquarters in Ismaning, Germany.
For additional information please visit the SCM Microsystems website at
www.scmmicro.com
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics, the world’s third largest semiconductor company, is
a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across
the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination
of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property
(IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront
of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling
today\'s convergence markets. The Company’s shares are traded on the New
York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange.
In 2001, the Company’s net revenues were $6.36 billion and net earnings
were $257.1 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.scmmicro.com.
Thomson
With sales of 10.5 billion Euros (U.S. $ 9.3 billion) in 2001, Thomson (Euronext
Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) provides a wide range of video (and enabling) technologies,
systems, finished products and services to consumers and professionals in
the entertainment and media industries. To advance and enable the digital
media transition, Thomson has five principal divisions: Digital Media Solutions,
Displays and Components, Consumer Products, Patents and Licensing, and New
Media Services. The company distributes its products under the Technicolor,
Grass Valley, THOMSON and RCA brand names. For more information: www.thomson.net
or contact Jean-Loup Bourgois on +33 1 41 86 55 90 or
bourgoisj@thmulti.com
©2003 Gemplus All rights reserved. Gemplus, the
Gemplus logo and GemSense are trademarks and service marks of Gemplus
S.A. and are registered in certain countries. All other trademarks and
service marks, whether registered or not in specific countries, are the
property of their respective owners.
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