Washington, D.C. and Paris, France – 4 August 2004

Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS), the world leader in integrated solutions (technologies, equipment and services) for the entertainment and media industries, today announced that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the SmartRight digital content protection system as a technology that can effectively prevent unauthorized, indiscriminate Internet redistribution of digital broadcast content. The FCC’s approval of SmartRight places it among an elite group of “first-approved” technologies eligible for licensing by manufacturers of all consumer electronic and personal computing products that receive and/or handle digitally broadcast content. Rules adopted by the Commission in 2003 require all such digital television devices to incorporate FCC-approved “broadcast flag” technologies by July 1, 2005.

SmartRight has been demonstred in CES, January 8-11, Las Vegas, 2004.