(SAN JOSE, September 23, 1998) Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation today announced the availability of a copy protection method for copyrighted content transferred across digital interfaces such as the IEEE1394. The Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA), an independent licensing authority established by the five companies, will begin licensing the Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP) method to interested businesses on September 23, 1998.

The rising popularity of digital AV/IT electronics products has spurred interest by the entertainment, electronics, and broadcast industries in adopting methods to protect digital content transferred between electronics products such as personal computers, DVD players, set-top boxes and digital television sets.

In February 1998, the five companies presented the DTCP method to the Copy Protection Technical Working Group (CPTWG), an ad-hoc cross-industry body organized to evaluate content protection technologies. The five companies subsequently established the DTLA in June 1998 to simplify licensing procedures and promote swift acceptance of the DTCP method by content providers, electronics manufacturers, and broadcast service providers.

Detailed technical information concerning the operation and implementation of the DTCP method is available through the DTLA pursuant to the terms of a nondisclosure agreement. The necessary export license authorizations have already been secured from the governments of the United States and Japan. Both a technical white paper describing the DTCP method and licensing information from the DTLA can be found on the Internet at http://www.dtcp.com.

Businesses interested in licensing the DTCP method should contact:

Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1997 (ended March 31, 1998) consolidated sales of ¥8,417 billion ($63.8 billion^*). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at http://www.hitachi.co.jp.

^*At an exchange rate of 132 yen to the dollar.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products.

Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd. is one of the world's leading producers of digital electronics and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use.
Matsushita's products are sold around the world under the Panasonic, National, Technics and Quasar brand names. With more than 275,000 employees worldwide, its consolidated annual sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998 reached a record 7,890.7 billion yen (US $59.78 billion).

For more information, please visit our website at www.panasonic.co.jp

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, pictures and computer entertainment operations make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $51 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, and it employs 173,000 people worldwide.

Sony's Home Page URL: http://www.sony.co.jp/

Toshiba is an integrated manufacturer of products spanning information & communications systems, information media & consumer products, electronic components, and power sysytems & industrial equipment. The company has 186,000 employees worldwide and annul sales of more than $40billion.