History of Establishment In early March 2001, Multimedia CD Consortium (Chairman: Koji YADA) and the Orange Forum (Chairman: Heitaro NAKAJIMA) approved the dissolution of their organizations at the respective board of directors' meeting and general meeting to jointly create a new body centering on the CD family. "CDs21 Solutions"(Chairman: Heitaro NAKAJIMA) was thus set up officially when a general meeting for its establishment was held on April 25, 2001. The new organization aims to promote businesses associated with the CD family including peripheral technologies and contents making. The purpose of this CDs21 Solutions is to strive for the spread and promotion of application products that comply with various CD standards including hardware, discs, software, contents making and related services, thereby contributing to the industry and consumers concerned. The compact disc (CD) which made its debut in 1982 as an audio package medium was succeeded by CD-ROM for data use and Video CD for video use. Then notable progress was made through merger with compatible recording media, CD-R/CD-RW. Today, the number of discs being produced for the CD family amounts to about 8 billions and that of drives amounts to roughly 300 millions (according to an estimate for fiscal 2000). These CD family members are now making further development to provide a platform on a global scale. The activity of the newly organized CDs21 Solutions includes technical examination of compatibility and the like, thus making proposals and recommendations required for the promotion of CD platform-based hardware, discs, software products and contents making. This voluntary association intends to provide a variety of relevant information and technical supports for the sake of ever more development of the industry concerned. In addition, aiming at active interchange among its members, it will arrange joint studies and will release their outcome emerging from related committees and groups. Study of copyright acts will be made as well. The CDs21 Solutions intends to extend its full support to businesses of its members by best utilizing the legacy of Multimedia CD Consortium and the Orange Forum for further spread of the CD family, peripheral technologies and contents making, aiming for contribution to this industrial sector.   - February 27, 2001 A secretary office was set up jointly by 13 promoting companies to work on preparations for organizing "CDs 21 Solutions".   - March 1, 2001 Dissolution of Multimedia CD Consortium was approved by its board of directors.   - March 7, 2001 Dissolution of the Orange Forum was approved at its general meeting.   - April 25, 2001 A general meeting was held for setting up "CDs 21 Solutions" Outline Name CDs21Solutions Location Office of Secretary c/o Sony Corporation6-7-35 Kitashinagawa Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo, 141-0001 Japan TEL : +81-3-5448-1550FAX : +81-3-5448-1550 Promoters for organization at the start of CDs21 Solutions scheduled for April 2001 (13 companies) Sony Corporation DENNO SHOKAI CO., LTD HICOM Corporation MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC. Philips Japan, Ltd. PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORPORATION RICOH COMPANY, LTD. Sony Corporation TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. TDK CORPORATION TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD. VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LIMITED YAMAHA CORPORATION ( in alphabetical order )