Knowledge Article Display · Custom Portal

Typical approval time for a new license request is 3 business days. Once approved, a license agreement or application form is delivered to you via email. Once it is returned to us, if everything is in order, we ask you to allow 5-7 business days for processing of the agreement or application.

For an overview of licensing steps and estimated timelines, please view the processes outlined on the homepage.

Where can I find a complete list of available IP license agreements?

Please visit the Intellectual Property page. To jump directly to PlayReady, visit: Microsoft PlayReady - Home

Why don't I see my company on the Approved Licensee list(s)?

The licensee lists refresh every night. Please check back again after one day or email ipla@microsoft.com to verify the status of your license agreement. Please note that IPLA may only release license agreement related information to designated company contacts.

PlayReady Licensees: Licensee Lists · Custom Portal

Please visit the PlayReady site and this page on the Windows Media Licensing Program.

How do I determine which license agreement best suits my business model?

Please visit the Intellectual Property page to review which licenses will best suit your business needs. To determine which PlayReady agreement meets your needs please review the PlayReady licensing options: https://www.microsoft.com/playready/licensing/

What is the difference between interim and final products and interim and final agreements?

“Interim Product” means a software or hardware product or integrated circuit (e.g. silicon implementation, digital signal processing chip, reference design, software SDK, optical drive mechanism, etc.) that is designed to be incorporated in to or combined with a Final Product. A “Final Product” means a software or hardware product in a final form of manufacturing with a fully functional user interface that is intended for distribution to end users (e.g. media player application, cellular phone, motor vehicle radio, portable digital music player or handheld Internet appliance, etc.).

Visit the Windows Media Licensing website and PlayReady website.

Typical approval time for a new license request is 3 days. Once approved, a license agreement or application form is delivered to you via email. Once it is returned to us, if everything is in order, we ask you to allow 5-7 days for processing of the agreement or application.

This list refreshes every night. Please check back again after one day or email wmla@microsoft.com to verify the status of your license agreement. Please note that WMLA may only release license agreement related information to designated company contacts.

May we telephone you?

Due to the high volume of licensees and requests, the IPLA team is only able to provide email support.

Due to the high volume of licensees and requests, the WMLA team is only able to provide email support.

Who can I talk with if I have a technical question?

IPLA only administers licensing requests and is not a technical resource. Dedicated technical support is not offered on all programs. We recommend reviewing our Microsoft Docs for technical information regarding our technologies. For example you can find technical information about some of our technologies at these sites: Developing Applications using PlayReady - PlayReady | Microsoft Docs, Codec Objects - Win32 apps | Microsoft Docs

How do I request a certificate?

Existing customers can request certificates in the IP Licensing Portal by clicking on the “Deliverables” tab and clicking “Request Certificate”.

How do I receive information on Conformance testing?

Please refer to your WME Overview document for information. Any additional questions can be sent to wmcert@microsoft.com as noted in the WME Overview document.

Does Microsoft provide a list of PlayReady patents, and when do these patents expire?

Microsoft offers a Necessary Claims license under our PlayReady agreements which is intended to cover all patents necessary to implement PlayReady technologies and should provide you with the appropriate patent rights during the term of your agreement. IPLA does not provide a full list of patents related to PlayReady, nor do we provide a list of their expiration dates due to the complex nature of patents.

WMLA only administers licensing requests, and is not a technical resource. Dedicated technical support is not offered on all programs.

What fees are associated with my agreement?

You can find samples of all licenses and associated fees at the PlayReady website and Intellectual Property Technology Licensing Page.

You can find a list of all licenses and associated fees at the PlayReady website and Windows Media Licensing Program site.

Do we have to pay both royalty fees and fees for source code?

It depends. If you require a development agreement and wish to receive source code, source code fees may apply. If you require a Final distribution agreement and wish to distribute final products to end users, then there may be royalties associated with the agreement you would execute.

It depends. If you require a development agreement and wish to receive source code, source code fees apply. If you require a Final distribution agreement and wish to distribute final products to end users, then there are royalty reports associated with the agreement you would execute.

Do we have to pay both an Annual Fee and pay per unit?

No, you have the option of choosing one or the other for any single Licensed Technology under a Final Product Agreement.

Where can I download a copy of my invoice?

You can download copy of your invoice by going to our DOC (Digital Operations Center) Portal at: https://www.microsoftoem.com. Our DOC Portal allows licensees to transact business with Microsoft via web-based tools. If you have questions about your access to DOC, please email msoemops@microsoft.com.

Who can I contact if I have questions about my tax withholding forms when paying my invoice?

For questions regarding any tax withholdings, please reach out to our Credit and Collections Team at winmla@microsoft.com.

No, you have the option of choosing one or the other for any single Licensed Technology.

How do I terminate my agreement?

The type of agreement(s) you have will determine the type of action(s) which must be taken. The first step is to click on the “Agreements” Tab in the IP Licensing Portal and selecting “Request Agreement Change”. From there you can select the agreement you wish to amend. If a termination form is available, you can request your termination there. If the termination option is not available, please contact ipla@microsoft.com to request any license termination.

The type of agreement(s) you have will determine the type of action(s) which must be taken. Typically for agreements that involve revenue, an amendment needs to be drafted, balances (if any) need to be paid, and final royalty reports must be filed for royalty bearing agreements. Please contact WMLA@microsoft.com to request termination.

What do I do if our license contact changed?

Please submit a contact change request through the IP Licensing Portal by clicking on the “Agreements” tab and selecting “Request Contact Change”.

To better serve our Partners, WMLA has developed a form letter to use for updating contact information and changing a contact or contacts for license agreements. The forms and detailed instructions can be found here.

What do I do if our company name changed?

The first step is to click on the “Agreements” tab in the IP Licensing Portal and select “Request Agreement Change”. From there you can select “Company Name Change”. If this option is not available for the agreements you own, please contact ipla@microsoft.com to inform them of your company name change directly. The IP Licensing team will provide additional actions required if any.

The type of agreement(s) you have will determine the type of action(s) which must be taken. Typically for agreements that involve revenue, an amendment needs to be drafted. For other types of agreements, you will need to complete our Company Name Change form. Please contact WMLA@microsoft.com to request an amendment or appropriate form.

A new password can be generated if you no longer have this password. However, if you still have the original password, you may use that access password again.

English is not my first language; do you provide agreements in different languages?

IPLA only administers licensing agreements in English, and we are not able to provide translations of our agreements in any other language.

Please refer to your WME Overview document for information. Any additional questions can be sent to wmcert@microsoft.com as noted in the WME Overview document.

My WM Rights Manager 10.1 SDK Service Certificate expired. How do I renew it?

The extended support end date for Windows Server 2003 was July 14, 2015. Since WMDRM only runs using Windows Media Rights Manager SDK (WMRM SDK) in a Windows Server 2003 environment, Microsoft will no longer offer support for Windows Media Rights Manager (WMDRM), administer WMRM SDK license agreements, or generate DRM enrollment certificates as of July 14, 2015. 

Furthermore, WMDRM is a legacy content and access protection technology and any further innovation in Microsoft’s media-focused DRM functionality will be released via the PlayReady code base, the successor to WMDRM. 

Enrolling for a new certificate can be done here. For frequently asked questions pertaining to your WM Rights Manager agreement, please review this article.

The correct form is now available within our new online certificate request tool. Existing customers can access this tool from our Portal.