Zhang Ping, a professor from the Intellectual Property Rights Institute of Peking University, has filed an argument against Philips (PHG), a member of the international 3C DVD Patent Group.

The 3C DVD Patent Group owns most of the patents related to the DVD technology, and Professor Zhang is accusing Philips of charging expensive patent fees from Chinese DVD manufacturers.

Since December 2005, Professor Zhang has been working on a case against Philips' DVD patent and he says he has accumulated a lot of powerful evidence. If his report on the validity of Philips' DVD patent and the rationality of their patent fee in China passes the review of the State Intellectual Property Office, Philips and other 3C members will no longer have the right to charge a DVD patent fee from Chinese enterprises.

A final judgment will be made next Thursday. Philips may have to return the patent fees it has already collected from Chinese enterprises if it loses the judgment.