SIBS signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

SIBS CARTÕES is one of the largest payment processors in Europe and Africa, SIBS is present in more than ten countries. "SIBS Cartões" is the banking and non-banking cards manufacturer within the SIBS universe, with extensive experience in the area of production and personalization of bank and commercial cards (loyalty, gift and identification cards).

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

IDEMIA signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new license for its Calypso technology patents.

The mission of IDEMIA is to make the world safer and lead industries with its cutting edge expertise. IDEMIA opens the door to seamless and unique experiences for consumers and citizens around the world, all while ensuring total continuity and complete security between the physical and digital worlds.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

SNOWBALL signs a license for Innovatron Calypso HCE Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

SNOWBALL is a Chinese company publishing and managing digital services for mobility applications.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

INFINEON signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for the Calypso standard technology.

Infineon Technologies AG, the world leading smartcard chip manufacturer, has signed a license with Innovatron for developing and marketing Calypso components. Any card manufacturer will be able to buy Calypso-ready components from Infineon to market Calypso cards.

"The increasing market of the Calypso open ticketing standard, initially fostered by Innovatron, continues to attract new suppliers. We are glad that Infineon has joined this trend to extend the number of components manufacturers offering Calypso-ready chips. These components make it easier and faster to market Calypso cards.", confirmed Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno.

Infineon web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Product Range: Prime, Light and Basic.

The Calypso standard originally created by Innovatron and RATP, joined by the SNCF and many transport operators in Europe and the world, creating the only open ticketing standard widely deployed, with more than 150 million cards used daily in more than 125 transport networks in many countries in the world.

To expend this tremendous success, Calypso Networks Association, the nonprofit association of the users of the Calypso standard, has defined a range of Calyspo products to answer the needs of all types of applications while remainig true to its goals: openness, high security, based upon international standards.

Calypso has defined a range of compatible products:

• Calypso Prime: the main Calypso specification currently used throughout the world for contactless ticketing, services, multiple uses, etc.
• Calypso Light: a simplified Calypso specification, downward compatible with Calypso Prime to address single ticketing applications at a lower cost.
• Calypso Basic: a limited Calypso specification, to allow very low cost Calypso compatible product able to replace single use tickets.
  

The licensing fees are adapted to each type of product, and may be as low as 1.8 euro cent for Prime, 1.0 to 0.7 euro cent for Light and 0.3 to 0.2 euro cent for Basic products.

CNA, Calypso Networks Association, the nonprofit association of users of the Calypso standard, has played a central role in the development of the standard, particularly in recent years with the deployment of new ticketing approaches: NFC phones, account based ticketing, post-payment, mobility as a service ("MaaS"), light ticketing and open source.
CNA and Innovatron promote the Calypso standard since more than fifteen years, contribute to its development by updating and the maintaining its specifications, managing the database of unique Calypso serial numbers and associated registries.
CNA is also in charge of the certification process of Calypso portable objects designed to ensure the security and interoperability of products implementing the Calypso standard while protecting the licensees products from unfair competition. CNA also manages the CALYPSO trademark whose use is regulated by the Calypso Trademark Policy.

CNA web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

DIGIMOBEE signs a license for Innovatron Calypso HCE Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

DIGIMOBEE is a French company publishing and managing digital services for mobility applications.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Renewal of the Calypso Licensing Policy.

The Calypso standard was originally created by Innovatron and RATP, joined by the SNCF and many transport operators in Europe and the world, creating the only open ticketing standard widely deployed, with more than 150 million cards used daily in more than 125 transport networks in many countries in the world.

These successes have confirmed the correctness of the initial choices: openness, high security, based upon international standards.

The Calypso license is accessible to any company wishing to supply Calypso portable objects.
Only manufacturers of Calypso portable objects need a license. Other companies may freely use the standard and access the Calypso specifications: users (public transport company or authority, parking applications, etc.), integrators, manufacturers of readers and terminals.

CNA, Calypso Networks Association, is the nonprofit association of the users of the Calypso standard.

The rapid development of the Calypso market have led to an evolution of the Calypso licensing policy. CNA, RATP and Innovatron have therefore joined together to design the best organization ensuring the future of the Calypso standard, which is so important for all transport networks that benefit from it.
In this perspective, the founders of the standard have entrusted CNA with the Calypso licensing policy, allowing CNA to define the licensing scope and the conditions which will guarantee the largest success of the standard.

As the historical partner of the Calypso standard, Innovatron will of course continue the legal management of the licenses.

CNA, Calypso Networks Association, the nonprofit association of users of the Calypso standard, has played a central role in the development of the standard, particularly in recent years with the deployment of new ticketing approaches: NFC phones, account based ticketing, post-payment, mobility as a service ("MaaS"), light ticketing and open source.
CNA and Innovatron promote the Calypso standard since more than fifteen years, contribute to its development by updating and the maintaining its specifications, managing the database of unique Calypso serial numbers and associated registries.
CNA is also in charge of the certification process of Calypso portable objects designed to ensure the security and interoperability of products implementing the Calypso standard while protecting the licensees products from unfair competition. CNA also manages the CALYPSO trademark whose use is regulated by the Calypso Trademark Policy.

CNA web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

QILIUM signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

QILIUM is a Belgium company specialized in smartcard OS development.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

SELP SAS signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

SELP SAS, the French high-tech company with a 60 years’ experience in smart-cards production and smart cards projects offers global solutions and compete with market leaders.

"The increasing market of the Calypso open ticketing standard, initially fostered by Innovatron continues to attract new suppliers, thereby extending the product range of Calypso products, increasing competition to improve quality at lower costs for users of the standard.", confirmed Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Bluenet srl signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Bluenet SRL, is a new Italian company which design, develops and markets operating system for integrated system and discrete devices based on semiconductors used in a wide variety of security applications, including TSM, OTPs, Authentication, Facial Recognition, Smart Card Applications, Access Control Management, Proximity and Vicinity Tagging, Payment Solutions, Cryptography.

"The innovations fostered by Innovatron continue to expand their reach, in product types and ranges, said Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno, "This new license confirms Innovatron role as a facilitator of new technologies around the world and the strong attractivity of the Calypso standard".

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Sony Corporation signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Sony Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.
Sony Corporation, is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. For more information, please visit the web site: http://www.sony.net.

"The ubiquitous use of contactless technologies in innumerable objects used every day (public transport cards, bank payment, passports, NFC mobile phones, game appliances, TV, cameras, etc.) makes life easier for everyone and fosters innovative applications. Innovatron agreement with Sony Corporation confirms that the contactless standard ISO 14443 B offers the best technical basis for interoperability throughout the world." said Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno.

"With licensees in China, Korea, Japan, USA, and European countries, Innovatron helps users around the world to use their e-passport, NFC phones and contactless smartcards in safer and easier ways while decreasing products costs."


Sony NFC web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Gep signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Gep S.p.A., the Italian company specialized in the development of operating systems for security documents such as passports, identity cards and ticketing for local public transport, ticketing and access control systems for large events, has signed with Innovatron the license for patents regarding the Calypso open standard for ticketing.
These patents are used particularly in public transport ticketing applications.

“Gep joining with the Calypso community confirms the strong position of the Calypso standard, and the need expressed by the public transport ticketing market of uniting around a gloablly spread and established standard.” said Aude Benichou, Innovatron Vice President for Licensing. “Calypso is indeed the only open standard for contactless smartcard ticketing applications currently used everyday in more than 20 countries by millions of users for public transport, access control and payment.”


Gep web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Maxim Integrated signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Maxim Integrated Inc., based in California, USA, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.
Maxim invents higly integrated solutions that make technology seamless. Maxim designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of linear and mixed-signal integrated circuits, commonly referred to as analog circuits, for a large number of customers in diverse geographical locations.

"The license signed today confirms the importance and vitality of contactless technologies in innovative solutions." said Francis GREVY, CTO of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno, "The inclusion of ISO14443B in Maxim solutions is important to foster new solutions, ultimately facilitating the everyday life of people around the world, be it in public transportation, payments, travels, as well as home uses".


Maxim Integrated web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

KT Micro signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

KT Micro Inc., a Chinese leading fabless semiconductor company founded in Beijing in 2006, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.
KT Micro specializes in analog/mixed-signal (AMS), radio-frequency (RF), digital signal processing, broadband communication, security and connectivity integrated circuits (IC).,

"The innovations fostered by Innovatron continue to expand their reach, in product types and ranges, as well as in geographical regions." said Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno, "The license with KT Micro confirms Innovatron role as a facilitator of new technologies around the world".


KT Micro web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

ams AG signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

ams AG, a leading Austrian designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

"Confirming the ubiquitous use of contactless technologies in many objects used in everyday life (public transport cards, bank payment, passports, NFC mobile phones, etc.), Innovatron agreement with ams AG confirms that the contactless standard ISO 14443 B is the best technical basis for interoperability throughout the world." said Aude BENICHOU, VP of Innovatron, the licensing company founded by the smart card inventor Roland Moreno.

"With licensees in China, Korea, Japan, USA, and European countries, Innovatron helps users around the world to use their e-passport, NFC phones and contactless smartcards in safer and easier ways while decreasing products costs."


ams AG web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Extension of Calypso and Change of Licensing Policy.

Calypso is the open standard for contactless ticketing transactions used in public transport and many other applications. Effective April 2011, Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, has annouced a change in the Calypso licensing policy..

Until now, companies wishing to market Calypso terminals and readers had to sign a license with Innovatron and pay royalties for every equipment sold.

In order to simplify the access to the Calypso standard, which is increasingly used in the world as the technical basis for public transport interoperability, terminal manufacturers will not have to sign a license or pay royalties anymore.

The license rights and royalties will be collected on the Calypso Secure Application Modules (SAM). The independent company Spirtech, renowned for its expertise in smartcards, contactless technology and particularly in the Calypso standard, has been selected as the initial supplier of Calypso SAM (SAM-C1).

"After more than ten years of success assisting the Calypso community of users, we are glad to help Calypso in this important development step by our commitment to supply the Calypso SAM to all on equal conditions." said Frederic LEVY, head of Spirtech.

Spirtech web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Implementations

Extract from the Calypso Networks Associtation web site.

Calypso is widespread

- In 23 countries, more than 90 cities
- More than 30 million contactless cards
- 300 000 terminals in service
- In the largest intermodal networks in the world (Paris, Lisbon, Mexico...).


Where to find Calypso ?


Example of cities having already chosen the Calypso technology

These specific cases will enligthen you:

- What motivated transit operators to implement electronic ticketing on their transport network
- Why they chose Calypso
- Their first appraisal
- How they consider the future with their new ticketing system.

BRUSSELS (CNA web site)

CAPRI (CNA web site)

LISBON (CNA web site)

PARIS (CNA web site)

What's Calypso ?

Extract from the Calypso Networks Associtation web site.

Calypso is the electronic ticketing standard which defines the secured dialogue between cards and terminals.

It was developed by a group of European transit network operators during a 10 years development program started in 1990 and succeeded in creating the smartcard contactless technology adapted to the public transportation uses.
Some functional choices have been taken into account to answer the transit operators' needs:

- Contactless technology.
- Fast, safe transaction (decentralised security).
- Communication within the transaction time.
- Flexible transport application to build system step-by-step.
- Targeted products to afford all users and new services.
- Upgradable and respect for current standards.
- Microprocessor, dual interface.
- In accordance to ISO 7816-1, 2, 3, 4 and CEN 1545 Standards.

The technology is accessible to all manufacturers on a fair and non-discriminatory basis, to ensure:

- The birth of this new technology, suited to the urban public transport needs.
- A full products compatibility.
- A fair market competition.

To carry out theses missions, the Calypso founders and users have decided to form Calypso Networks Association, a non for profit organisation.

The main tasks of Calypso Networks Association are to:

- Establish long lasting relations with all the partners using the Calypso specifications.
- Define and direct the reference specifications.
- Implement a certification policy, to guarantee the compatibility of all current and future products.
- Establish a Calypso label issued by an independent organisation.
- Promote Calypso to operators and manufactures to yield its distribution.
- Contribute to the international standardisation process.
- Facilitate and harmonize the shared members' needs and experiences.
- Encourage all actions of mutual assistance in the implementation of Calypso e- ticketing systems.

Calypso Networks Association Membership

- All operators or transport operator associations that use certified Calypso cards.
- Calypso prescribers, including organising authorities.
- Industrial licensees holders or distributors of the technology's components and consultants who contribute in the diffusion of Calypso.
- Operators, Operator associations, Organizing Authorities not currently using Calypso cards.
- All organizations with interests in this field.

CNA web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Practical implementation of a ticketing system (extract)

Extract from Practical implementation of a ticketing system and Management of the technical interoperability, by Andre Ampelas, Honorary President and Founder of Calypso Networks Association.

Managers of ticketing systems need their system to be open to competition. In addition to the basic requirements for rapidity and security, concerns about the longevity and cost reduction over the system lifetime require a competition among several manufacturers.

Effectively:

- ticketing systems will evolve during their life span (network extensions, additional operators, tariff modifications, etc.),
- some suppliers may leave this field (such as Motorola, that some cities such as Rome or San Francisco had chosen based on its reputation),
- new solutions become available (e.g. reloading of season tickets on ATM, mobile phones with contactless interface) and are sometimes designed by new players that may have difficulties to obtain technical information from historical suppliers.

Calypso was designed by a group of transit network operators (Brussels, Konstanz, Lisboa, Paris, Venezia) to answer these concerns with a modern ticketing system based upon contactless smartcards.

Calypso is the only open solution among available and time proven technical standards. This explains its large success. Indeed, more than 70 transit networks have selected Calypso and more than 30 suppliers around the world can already supply it.

Nevertheless, a manufacturer is always looking for ways to "close" the systems delivered, even when they are based on Calypso. This document highlights some technical issues to watch closely when implementing a Calypso system to avoid such pitfalls.

(...)

Implementing a ticketing system requires a global approach of several subjects.

The transit networks using the Calypso technology are gathered in Calypso Networks Association. They may help this practical implementation with their concrete experience.

This is the essence of Calypso.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso vs other technologies (Mifare, Felica, etc.)

When choosing a ticketing technology, many factors must be considered.

The cost of the cards themselves is not the most important one by far, as the technology chosen may imply many additionnal costs and limit the functionalities.

Among others things to consider are:

- the relationship to standards (to ensure the continuity of the products, and the lower cost of maintenance and evolutions),
- the security level (to avoid possible frauds),
- the interoperability capabilities,
- the multisource availability.

Calypso has been designed by transport operators to ensure that these goals are reached, among others.

Mifare, Felica and other proprietary technologies have been designed by one company (Philips, Sony, etc.) and fail the test on the above list of criteria.

Before making a choice, keep in mind that some system integrators, terminal manufacturors, or card manufacturors may try to promote closed systems, to make more difficult a real competition between suppliers.

This is one of the main goals of Calypso: to ensure a real competition, so that transport operators are not tied with one supplier in the future, and so that they may enjoy low costs of systems and easy evolutions, and benefit from innovations from various sources.

Do not hesitate to visit Calypso systems such as Brussels in Belgium, Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, Paris in France, Israel, Milan in Italy and many others, which may help you in your decisions.
You may also contact the Calypso Networks Association (CNA), which regroups the users of Calypso. Within CNA, the users of Calypso (not the suppliers) decide of its evolution and ensure its future in the long term.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Infineon signs a license for Innovatron Session Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Session technology patents.

Infineon Technologies AG, the world leading smartcard chip manufacturer, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless transactions. These "Session" patents are used particularly for ticketing transactions in products such as Calypso, DESFire or Cipurse.


Infineon web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Poste Mobile signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Poste Mobile, the innovative mobile phone operator of the Italian Poste Italiane group has signed with Innovatron the license for patents regarding the Calypso open standard for ticketing.
These patents are used particularly in public transport ticketing applications, used particularly for ticketing solutions using standard NFC mobile phones for payment of public transport and other ticketing applications.

“Innovatron is particularly glad to welcome the first mobile operator to join the Calypso community as a licensee, to develop innovative ticketing products allowing users to easily use their mobile phones to pay for public transport and other ticketing applications in Italy.” said Aude Benichou, Innovatron Vice President for Licensing. “Calypso is the only open standard for contactless smartcard ticketing applications currently used everyday in more than 23 countries by millions of users for public transport, access control and payment.”.


Poste Mobile web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

List of Available Calypso Products.

Calypso is the only open ticketing standard implemented in many public transport networks over the world.

Calypso was developed by a group of European transit network operators during a 10 years development program started in 1990 and succeeded in creating the smartcard contactless technology adapted to the public transportation uses.

The standard is accessible to all manufacturers to ensure the compatibility of products from different manufacturers, a fair market competition and the perennity of the ticketing systems over the long term (e.g. 20 years). As all technical standard, the Calypso specifications have been augmented and improved to add new functionalities and security, while maintaining compatibility with existing systems.

Between 2000 and 2010, Calypso has enjoyed a tremendous success, and is used throughout the world to secure fast and flexible ticketing transactions in transit networks of all sizes.

A Calypso card (portable object) specification must be validated in order to be authorized to claim to be a Calypso product. If a portable object is not present in the list of validated products ( document CalypsoProducts-Cards), it is not a Calypso product.

A Calypso terminal may be either manufactured by a Calypso terminal licensees, or should be audited by Calypso to ensure that it really implements the Calypso specifications. The complete list of audited Calypso terminals are listed on the Calypso Standard technical website.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Giesecke & Devrient signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Giesecke & Devrient, the global market leader and pioneering innovator in banknote production and processing, security documents, and identification systems, has signed with Innovatron the license for patents regarding the Calypso open standard for ticketing.
These patents are used particularly in public transport ticketing applications.

“After the Session patent license agreement with Giesecke & Devrient, we are glad that G&D joins up with the Calypso community to clearly establish the Calypso open standard for ticketing as the leading solution for the public transport community.” said Aude Benichou, Innovatron Vice President for Licensing. “Calypso is the only open standard for contactless smartcard ticketing applications currently used everyday in more than 20 countries by millions of users for public transport, access control and payment.”


Giesecke & Devrient web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Giesecke & Devrient signs a license for Innovatron Session Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Session technology patents.

Giesecke & Devrient, the global market leader and pioneering innovator in banknote production and processing, security documents, and identification systems, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless transactions. These "Session" patents are used particularly for ticketing transactions in products such as Calypso or DESFire.


Giesecke & Devrient web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Fudan Microelectronics signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Fudan Microelectronics, a leading Chinese integrated circuit designer, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

"A few months after signing a contactless license with the Chinese company Microtech Innovation, Innovatron agreement with Fudan Microelectronics is important as it confirms that the contactless standard ISO 14443 B is the best technical basis for interoperability throughout the world." said Roland Moreno, the smart card inventor and CEO of Innovatron.
"With licensees in China, Korea, Japan, USA, and European countries, Innovatron helps users around the world to use their e-passport, NFC phones and contactless smartcards in safer and easier ways while decreasing products costs."


Fudan Microelectronics web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Extension of Calypso and Change of Licensing Policy.

Calypso is the open standard for contactless ticketing transactions used in public transport and many other applications. Effective April 2011, Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, has annouced a change in the Calypso licensing policy..

Until now, companies wishing to market Calypso terminals and readers had to sign a license with Innovatron and pay royalties for every equipment sold.

In order to simplify the access to the Calypso standard, which is increasingly used in the world as the technical basis for public transport interoperability, terminal manufacturers will not have to sign a license or pay royalties anymore.

The license rights and royalties will be collected on the Calypso Secure Application Modules (SAM). The independent company Spirtech, renowned for its expertise in smartcards, contactless technology and particularly in the Calypso standard, has been selected as the initial supplier of Calypso SAM (SAM-C1).

"After more than ten years of success assisting the Calypso community of users, we are glad to help Calypso in this important development step by our commitment to supply the Calypso SAM to all on equal conditions." said Frederic LEVY, head of Spirtech.

Spirtech web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Inside Contactless signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Inside Contactless, the global leader in open-standard contactless payment and Near Field Communication (NFC) solutions, has signed a license with Innovatron for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

"The signature of the contactless patents license by INSIDE CONTACTLESS is an important landmark for the contactless industry." said Roland Moreno, the smart card inventor and CEO of Innovatron.
"Contactless applications ease the life of all the users of smart objects around the world (smartcards, NFC phones, epassport...), INSIDE will help to strengthen this industry by joining efforts with Innovatron and its licensees to help establishing the stable technical basis required for contactless interoperability."


Inside Contactless web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Ingenico signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Ingenico SA. the world’s leading provider of payment solutions,solutions, with over 15 million terminals
deployed across the globe, has signed a license with Innovatron to access the Calypso technology.
Delivering the very latest secure electronic payment technologies, transaction management and the widest range of value added services, Ingenico is shaping the future direction of the payment solutions market. Ingenico is reinforcing its leadership by taking banks and businesses beyond payment through offering comprehensive solutions
Calypso is now avaliable in the Ingenico products lineup for uses such as portable control equipment, or POS Calypso terrminals.


Ingenico web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Bluebird Soft signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Bluebird Soft Inc. is a korean company, leader in mobile computer solutions integrating many advanced technologies such as HSDPA, RFID, GPS, etc.
Calypso is now avaliable in the Bluebird Pidion products lineup for uses such as portable control equipment, or light Calypso terminals.


Bluebird web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Central Systems Security.

Contrary to some other contactless ticketing systems, Calypso has always allowed to manage the security of the transactions with the portable objects remotely from a central system. The security of the transaction is maintained even when remotely managed.
This is particularly useful when managing remote selling of products such as public transport rights and other ticketing value.

Such management may be done by using a number of remote Calypso SAM, managed at the central system location.

Recently, more flexible solutions have been made available: - Calypso HSM: a Hardware Security Module is a highly secure PC electronic board that can manage secret keys and cryptography. The Calypso HSM allows to manage remotely up to 5,000 simultaneous Calypso transactions, and up to 127 independant Calypso ticketing networks. - SAM-S20: the SAM-S20 is a standard size Calypso SAM (Secure Application Module) that can manage up to 20 simultaneous Calypso transactions. These Calypso products are available from the company Spirtech. SPIRTECH web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Product Specifications.

The Calypso technical web site gives access to the Calypso reference technical specifications and to the user manual of some certified Calypso portable objects.

Do not hesitate to visit the web site to gain access to the specifications.

Any Calypso licensee may supply the specifications of its certified products for addition to this documentation repository. Just send us your technical documents. Once put online, they will be accessible by the registered users of the web site. This service is free of charge.

To access the Calypso technical web site:
Calypso Technical Support

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Letter.

Calypso Networks Association, the non- profit organisation of Calypso users, which promotes the Calypso standard and is responsible for the long term stability and evolution of the Calypso specifications, has started to issue the Calypso Letter.

We are glad to inform you of the birth of the Calypso Letter. This long awaited newsletter regularly reports a global vision of the worldwide development of Calypso, viewed from different angles: - testimonies from actors of the market, - significant news and events, - evolution of key figures, - technical and technological evolutions. The letter will bring up to date information to all the users, supporters and suppliers of the only independant contactless ticketing standard used throughout the world. The Calypso Letter may be subscribed to, and accessed freely, at: Calypso Letter To contact Calypso Networks Association: Calypso

For more information about Innovatron licensing policy, please read our FAQ.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

ATMEL signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

ATMEL, the industry leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor, and one of the largest manufacturers of smartcard and contactless components has signed with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

“We are particularly glad to welcome ATMEL among our licensees, as ATMEL has played a very active part in contactless applications and standardization from their beginning." said Roland Moreno, the smart card inventor and CEO of Innovatron. "ATMEL has always been a strong proponent of the Type B of the ISO 14443 standard, helping establish a firm technicalbasis for contactless interoperability. Contactless applications ease the life of all the users of smart objects around the world (smartcards, NFC phones, epassport...)."

ATMEL web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

CALYPSO: Contactless cards for a simple and low cost system.

The Calypso licencing policy is managed by Innovatron, the original inventor of the smart card.

The goal of the Calypso Licence policy is to:

• Ensure a strong coherence of the Calypso compliant products.
  
• Extend the Calypso ticketing standard and ensure the largest diffusion of the technology.
  
• Finance the research and development costs.
  
• Finance the Calypso Networks Association, the technology evolution and promotion.
  

Users (Transit operators, regional authorities, etc.) do not have to buy a licence, or to pay any fee to Calypso (only manufacturers must purchase a licence). Innovatron does not manufacture products, and ensures that any interested manufacturer may have access to the Calypso technology on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Thanks to the high level of functionality and security defined initially by Calypso, and to the multi-sourcing of products, the investments made in the ticketing systems of transit networks using Calypso ensures the lowest cost for the overall system over its lifetime.

This choice has been made by many transit networks, from Riga to Madeira, Lisbon to Paris, Venice to Brussels, Montreal to Mexico, Jerusalem to Algiers.

For more information about Calypso, you may read the CNA Letter:
CNA Letter

To contact Calypso Networks Association:
Calypso

For more information about Innovatron licensing policy, please read our FAQ.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

The Development of Contactless Ticketing.

The rapid development of contactless ticketing in the world requires products with increasing functionalities and security.
Thanks to the technology pioneered by Innovatron (Application Patents), it is possible to use fast and secure products such as Calypso and DESFire.

Both technologies rely upon the Session Patent to ensure a seamless performance for their users, ensuring that, even if the contactless transaction is broken at any time during the writing operations in a card, the card content remains coherent and uncorrupted: all the modifications necessary during the transaction will be either all done or none will be done.
Calypso also uses the Ratification Patent to ensure a smooth ending to all transactions.

For more information about Calypso, contact Calypso Networks Association:
Calypso

For more information about DESFire, contact NXP:
NXP web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

dZine signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

dZine is a belgium company, pioneer of digital signage systems and professional mobile solutions is a key player in this two markets. dZine offers mobile computing equipment used in contactless ticketing to control the passengers tickets.


dZine web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Samsung Electronics signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Samsung Electronics, the global leader in semiconductors, and a very active supplier in the field of smartcard components, has signed with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B and NFC.

Samsung Electronics is the world's largest producer of memory chips, Smart Card Chips, Display Driver ICs, TFT-LCDs, and monitors. Samsung Electronics is also the fourth-largest manufacturer of mobile phones. The company employs approximately 66,000 people in 46 countries.

Samsung Electronics web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

EM Microelectronic Marin signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

EM Microelectronic Marin, the semiconductor manufacturer of the Swatch Group, has signed with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B and NFC.

EM Microelectronic Marin offers a large range of electronic components, including RFID components for readers such as the versatile EM4094 and the multi-protocols EM4294 components

EM Microelectronic web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Main Licensing Events: 2006-2007.

During the years 2006 and 2007, the contactless technology spread in many applications on the planet, easing the life of millions of people.

Two main new applications emerged:
- The ePassport applications, which have now gained a worlwide momentum.
- The appearance of NFC equipments such as mobile phones, which are beginning to appear.
Innovatron has accordingly adapted its licensing policy (see the December news).

During those two years, Innovatron has signed the following licenses:

CONTACTLESS PATENTS:
- Infineon (Europe) June 2006
- Sharp (Japan) April 2007
- Microtech Innovation (China) September 2007
- NXP-Philips (Europe) October 2007

APPLICATION PATENTS:
- Sagem-Orga (Europe) March 2006
- Telvent (Spain) May 2006
- Watchdata (China) June 2006
- ProActive (France) September 2006
- Trusted Logic (France) August 2007


List of active licensees.


Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

NFC License Conditions.

The contactless NFCstandard (ISO 18092) is developing for mobile technologies such as mobile phones and PDA. NFC includes the ISO 14443 A and B communication protocols, already widely used all over the world for payment and access control.

Innovatron has adapted its licensing policy to these new developments and proposes new licensing conditions for NFC products.

These licensing conditions are only of concern to component manufacturers:

NFC and contactless licensing conditions.


Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

NXP signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

NXP, one of the largest manufacturers of smartcard and contactless components, and the leading supplier of NFC components, has signed with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

“We are very excited to welcome NXP, the world leading manufacturer of NFC components and one of the most innovative companies in its field, among our licensees." said Roland Moreno, the smart card inventor and CEO of Innovatron. "The market for contactless personal objects, such as mobile phones, needs a reliable technical interoperability to ensure its global success. We are glad to help NXP establish this worlwide standard."

NXP web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Microtech Innovation signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Microtech Innovation LTD, one of the world's leaders specialized in mirocontroller IC designs, has signed this month with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

Microtech has a range of smartcards and readers components in contact and contactless technologies, with EAL4+ certification, for all applications.


Microtech web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso License for downloadable applications.

Following up on the first developments of Calypso products on standard multiapplication environments, such as JavaCard and Multos, combined with the appearance of NFC mobile phones (see the June 2007 news), Innovatron announced the definition of new licenses and services targeting these environments.

For more information, please read the new licensing document available on the "Documents" page of Innovatron web site, also accessible below:

Licensing conditions for generic applications (JavaCard).

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Technical Support.

Technical support for Calypso is available on the Calypso technical web site, which gives access to the Calypso specifications, information about Calypso products, and other technical information.

You may also contact Spirtech, the Calypso experts, for specific questions:
- Free technical support by email (spirtechspirtech.com).
- Technical training on the contactless technologies, Calypso, smart cards, cryptography, etc.
- Access to test kits (cards and SAM) and to test SAM.

Spirtech

Based in France, Spirtech is an independent company expert in contact and contactless smart cards, cryptography and Calypso technologies.

Calypso available with Java Cards.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the forthcoming availability of Calypso Applet applications for the Java card environment.

Demonstration of Calypso Java applications have been done during the Cartes 2006 exhibition in November 2006. Field tests have rapidly followed with NFC phones in the Paris transit area, with the main French transport operators: RATP and SNCF.
The availability of a Calypso Java Application for use in Java cards and mobile phones is announced for the end of 2007.

"The Java application may be initialized as a fully compatible Calypso existing application (GTML, CD Light, CD97), or as a Calypso Revision 3 application, compliant with the latest Calypso specifications." said Roxane Beltrutti, head of the Java developments at Spirtech. "The Calypso applet may share the Java card (or NFC Phone SIM card) with other applications, offering unprecedented flexibility and control to the user."

"This new and exciting use of the Calypso Technology demonstrates once again that Calypso was designed from the start with a high level of flexibility and security, allowing its use in many environments." said Roland Moreno, the smart card inventor and CEO of Innovatron. "This new success will allow safe "over the air" use of NFC mobile phones in many applications, including public transport."

More information about Calypso

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Novabase signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Octal / Novabase, a leading information technology company has signed with Innovatron the license for patents regarding the use of Calypso technology with portable objects such as smartcards and mobile phones.
These patents are used particularly in public transport ticketing applications.

Novabase is a leading supplier of ticketing solutions both in Portugal, where it has a notably dominant market share, as well as internationally.
“We are glad that the Calypso technology, originally designed by Innovatron with European transit networks, has now reached a worldwide interest for ticketing applications,” said Aude Benichou, Innovatron Vice President for Licensing. “Calypso is the only global standard for contactless smartcard applications currently used in more than 16 countries by millions of users for public transport, access control and payment.”


Novabase web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Sharp signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Sharp Corporation, one of the most innovative smartcard chip manufacturer, has signed this month with Innovatron a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

Sharp is the first company in the world to propose contactless smartcard components with very large memory capacities reaching 512 k byte and 1 mega byte.

Sharp delivers the components used for many applications in the world, including for Japanese and Australian e-passports.


Sharp web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Calypso Specification Revision 3.

Calypso, the open standard for contactless ticketing, has issued the third major revision of its specifications.

While remaining compatible with installed systems, this new version of the specification are clearer, more precise and prepare for the arrival of CalypsoNFC phones and improve the interoperability between various sources of readers and portable objects.

The Revision 3 of the Calypso specification may be downloaded from the Calypso technical web site.

Calypso

Based in Belgium, Calypso Networks Association is a non for profit organization promoting the Calypso ticketing specifications.

Pro Active signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Pro Active SAS, specializes in the identification technologies using contact and contactless smartcards. Pro Active designs and markets standard and specific solutions to identification needs for fixed and mobile equipment. Pro Active designs and manufactures a range of contact and proximity readers for PDA.


Pro Active web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Infineon signs a license for Innovatron Contactless Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its contactless technology patents.

Infineon Technologies AG, the world leading smartcard chip manufacturer, has signed with Innovatron for a license for patents regarding contactless communication. These patents are used particularly in the emerging RFID market by the chips complying with the international standard ISO14443B.

“The rapidly growing fields of public transport (ticketing), payment and identity (passport, identity cards) need a firm technological basis to ensure the global interoperability of cards and readers,” said Roland Moreno, chairman of Innovatron. “Innovatron is glad to team up with Infineon to help establishing this basis for contactless products in the RFID markets.”


Infineon web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Watchdata signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Beijing Watchdata system Co. Ltd., the leading Chinese vendor of smart card and data security technology has signed with Innovatron the license for patents regarding the Calypso technology.
These patents are used particularly in public transport ticketing applications.

“We are glad that the Calypso technology, originally designed by Innovatron with European transit networks, has now reached a worldwide interest for ticketing applications,” said Aude Benichou, Innovatron Vice President for Licensing. “Calypso is the only global standard for contactless smartcard applications currently used in more than 16 countries by millions of users for public transport, access control and payment.”


Watchdata web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.

Telvent signs a license for Innovatron Calypso Technology.

Innovatron, the leading smartcard licensing company, is glad to announce the signature of a new licensee for its Calypso technology patents.

Telvent, the Global RealTime IT Company, specializes in high value add solutions and services in four industry sectors (Energy, Traffic, Transport and Environment).
Its technology allows high performing companies to make real-time business decisions using data acquisition, control, and advanced operational applications, providing secure actionable information delivery to the enterprise.


Telvent web site.

Based in Paris, France, Innovatron invents, designs, develops and licenses smartcard technology. Worldwide, Innovatron has signed more than 260 licenses with companies based in more than 35 different countries.