The agreement covers each company’s worldwide patents for optical discs and for the optical disc drives, players and recorders that use them. The agreement is expected to bring benefits to both companies in terms of expediting product development and reducing development costs for optical disc related products, including next-generation DVDs.
The deal is somewhat surprising given LG’s previous attachment to HD-DVD rival blu-ray, and may signal a sizable shift in the battle for dominance raging between the two formats.