Patents on DVD for Sale by ICAP Ocean Tomo

ICAP Ocean Tomo LLC, the intellectual property brokerage division of ICAP plc (IAP.L) and a patent auction firm, is offering for sale a patent portfolio describing a DVD with time-limited playback from Flexplay Technologies, Inc.

The portfolio consists of 25 US patents, 34 foreign patents, and 14 patent applications. The assets have been cited by companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Philips, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Toshiba, and Infineon.

The patented technology uses a proprietary adhesive in place of the adhesive used for standard DVDs to create a ‘time-limited’ or perishable DVD. For both standard and time-limited DVDs, an adhesive is used to glue the plastic halves of a DVD together. Using the proprietary adhesive disclosed by the assets, a time-limited DVD will remain fresh if sealed in an airtight package for up to 18 months. When a consumer opens the sealed package, exposure to oxygen triggers a gentle chemical reaction within the proprietary adhesive inside in the DVD. After a preset time of 2 or 5 days occurs, the reaction disables the reflective data layer of the DVD thus preventing further viewing.

Flexplay Technologies has invested over $40 million in developing the technology and has created a commercial product that has been piloted in proof of concept trials and through various test partners.

"This technology has direct applicability to the $8 billion DVD sales market," said ICAP Ocean Tomo CEO Dean Becker. "It has the potential to significantly change the way consumers interact with digital media in the future."