Macrovision And Trimark Pictures Sign DVD Copy Protection Agreement

Macrovision Corporation (NASDAQ: MVSN) announced today that Trimark Pictures (NASDAQ: TMRK) has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue copy protection for all of its DVD releases. Trimark's decision to use Macrovision copy protection was made to help ensure the distribution of its DVD program material would not jeopardize its videocassette business or impact the profitability of its retailer customers.Macrovision's DVD copy protection is designed to prevent unauthorized copying of DVD programming to VCRs without impacting the original picture. It is now used on most DVDs being released and is the only technology of its kind that is currently available to protect against unauthorized copying from DVD players to VCRs.""Over 84 million U.S. households currently have one or more VCRs, which potentially could be used to make unauthorized copies from DVD originals,"" said Richard Matuszak, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Macrovision Corporation. ""We are pleased that a major independent studio such as Trimark is addressing this threat by protecting its DVD titles from unauthorized copying.""Macrovision is best known for the videocassette version of its copy protection technology, which is used by every Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) studio on some or all of their videocassette releases. Over 2.5 billion videocassettes have been copy protected. In the U.S., over 1,500 corporate, educational, and special interest rights owners apply the copy protection technology to their packaged media. DVD copy protection was introduced in 1997 and has been utilized on over 75 percent of all DVDs (i.e., over 90 million DVDs) produced to-date.About TrimarkTrimark Holdings is a broad-based entertainment company which acquires, produces and distributes motion pictures domestically and internationally under the Trimark Pictures banner; licenses to the broadcast industry under the Trimark Television moniker; and distributes to the domestic home video market under the Trimark Home Video label. Trimark is the owner of over 600 titles.Trimark Home Video releases approximately 35 titles per year to the home video rental market, approximately 15 new titles per year to the sell-thru market and is expanding rapidly into the DVD market. The Company recently entered into a multi-year deal with NBC Home Video to distribute their product line into retail outlets. Recent releases include the NBC mini-series ""The 60's,"" ""Another Day in Paradise,"" Stephen King's ""Storm of the Century,"" and ""Happiness."" In February of 1999, Trimark became the first motion picture company to form a partnership for the exhibition of movies via the Internet. Its deal with broadcast.com in which the companies exchanged equity allows Trimark titles, such as the cult-classic ""Leprechaun,"" to be streamed on the Internet and positions the Company as the first studio to embrace this new entertainment medium.About MacrovisionMacrovision Corporation develops and markets content copy protection and rights management technologies and products to prevent the illicit duplication, reception or use of video and audio programs and computer software. The company provides its products and services primarily to the home video, pay-per-view, cable, satellite, video security, consumer multimedia and application software markets. Macrovision has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California with subsidiaries in London and Tokyo.