European consumers are likely to see lower prices for recordable CDs after Philips changed its technology licensing program for manufacturers following an EU antitrust probe, AP quoted the European Commission as saying Thursday. EU regulators closed their investigation after Philips cut the payment it charges companies who license the right to make CD-R discs from 4.5 U.S. cents to 2.5 U.S. cents per disc. Philips also agreed to give licensees more information on which patents were essential and which weren't, to deal with technical problems and to allow other high-speed discs to qualify as CD-R. "The new licensing conditions offered by Philips are likely to bring about lower prices and more transparency for millions of consumers of recordable CDs," EU regulators said. The EU has been investigating the company since 2003 after a complaint from European CD-R manufacturers FIPCOM, the Federation of Interested Parties in fair Competition in the Optical Media sector, who alleged that the way Philips licensed their technology broke competition rules. The Commission warned that it would closely monitor how companies licensed new technology _ particularly those that support or set an industry standard _ to make sure they do not violate antitrust law. Telecom equipment makers filed an EU antitrust complaint against Qualcomm Inc. last year, claiming the California-based wireless technology company was refusing to license essential patents on fair terms and was charging excessive royalties.
