Marlin Founders Release Technology Specifications and Announce Developer Conferences

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marlin Developer Community (MDC) today released the first set of specifications to create an interoperable DRM environment for consumer services and devices. In addition, the MDC is now open for membership by interested parties.

Specifications released by the MDC today include the: Marlin Core System (MCS) Specification, Broadband Delivery Specification, Broadcast Delivery Specification, and OMA v. 2.0 Gateway Specification. This summer, the MDC will release Marlin IPTV specifications that respond to emergent regional requirements such as those in Japan. Marlin is the first standards-based DRM/content sharing technology platform specifically designed for use across multiple consumer electronics devices and services in the mobile, broadband and broadcast/IPTV markets. It offers complete interoperability among Marlin-compliant devices and services. Marlin is also compatible with the OMA DRM Version 2.0 standard for mobile phones and services. Information about the MDC initiative and the Marlin specifications may be found at http://www.marlin-community.com/ .

The MDC will host three introductory developer seminars in Asia, Europe and the United States in May and June. The seminars will present the Marlin architecture and value proposition to all parties seeking to learn more about Marlin technology. Times and locations of the developer seminars are being finalized. Details will be available at: http://www.marlin-community.com/developer/events .

Marlin technology provides sophisticated content distribution and sharing capabilities for devices and services. Marlin-based devices and services allow flexible sharing of content both in a consumer's home networking environment and in situations where a consumer wishes to share content across networks. The heart of Marlin is a software engine that manages the relationships among consumers, their devices and their content. Marlin enables multiple service providers to deliver services to a given home network in a manner that is responsive to typical business models and sensitive to consumer behaviors.

A joint development association consisting of the five Marlin founders, Intertrust Technologies, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Sony Corporation started developing the Marlin technology in January 2005. The group's goal was to develop the specifications to a point of maturity, and to create an open developer community to drive their adoption in the market. Last October, the joint development association announced the creation of the Marlin Developer Community, an organization whose goal is to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of Marlin. The MDC invites interested developers and adopters to participate in the review, testing and further development of specifications, reference technologies, tools, technical documentation and Software Developer Kits (SDKs).

In addition, the Marlin founders have created a second entity called the Marlin Trust Management Organization (MTMO). The MTMO provides trust management services, such as certification, key management and renewability. It also licenses the specifications and the Marlin logo for commercial purposes and enforces the appropriate use and security requirements of Marlin technology. The MTMO will be operational in the third quarter of 2006.

For more information about Marlin, please visit http://www.marlin-community.com/

About Intertrust Technologies Corporation

Intertrust develops and licenses intellectual property for Digital Rights Management (DRM) and trusted computing. The Company holds over 30 U.S. patents and more than 100 patent applications pending worldwide. Intertrust's patent portfolio covers software and hardware techniques that can be implemented in a broad range of products that use DRM and trusted computing technologies, including computer operating systems, digital media platforms, web services, and enterprise infrastructure. Intertrust has research, engineering, and IP groups focusing on developing and monetizing next-generation technologies and inventions. More information about the company can be found at http://www.intertrust.com/

About Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic)

Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$76.02 billion for the year ended March 31, 2006. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York , Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 30.4 billion in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 161,498 employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at http://www.philips.com/newscenter .

About Samsung Electronics Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2005 parent company sales of US$56.7 billion and net income of US$7.5 billion. Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 120 offices in 57 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com/

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $64 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

Media Contacts Robin Buckley (703) 533-9805; robin@buckleykaldenbach.com Isabel Kaldenbach (703) 979-3076; isabel@buckleykaldenbach.com