The WAVE Report on Digital Media
3D --- Media Creation --- Shared Space
---Published by 4th Wave, Inc.---
Issue #896------------------10/17/98
The WAVE Report is Searchable on
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896.1 Hot Topics
***Dolby Sues Smart Devices
(October 16)
Dolby Laboratories has filed suit against Smart Devices and
Panastereo (both of Atlanta, Georgia) for patent infringement.
The two Dolby patents cited cover elements of the analog audio
processing system Dolby SR, which is the sound format used for
the majority of analog motion picture releases worldwide. The
patents relate to various methods for noise reduction and
processing loud sounds, resulting in wider frequency response
and lower distortion.Dolby's lawsuit alleges that the Smart Devices module CM333 used
for decoding Dolby SR motion picture encoded soundtracks under
the Panastereo and/or Smart brand names uses technologies
developed by Dolby and which are covered by their patents.Dolby is asking that Smart and Panastereo be permanently
enjoined from infringing on its patents in the future, and seeks
royalties and damages arising from the infringement.
***Remote Review Runs Extensive
Game Evaluation of STB NVIDIA
RIVA TNT Based Card
Check out the extensive evaluation of games on an STB card using
NVIDIA's TNT chip at:
***SiS Announces Super-south chip
and Shows off Integrated Core
Logic
(October 14)
SiS showed to the press, in Taipei, its chip sets with 3D. This
demonstration included the SiS530 and SiS620 for Socket 7 and
Pentium II platforms, respectively.Both products support 100MHz host bus and integrate the SiS6326
3D chip. The SiS530-based system used a systems with AMD K6-
2/350 CPU while SiS620 the Pentium II-400.Both SiS530 and SiS620 have built-in 3D rendering engine, 230M
RAMDAC, and support a 8MB frame buffer, enlarged FIFO and video
accelerator. As an option, both also support additional
connection to LCD monitor.Both chips are capable of providing 800MB/s bandwidth between
graphics engine and system memory.SiS also announced its Super-south chip, the SiS960. The SiS960
integrates V9.0 HSP Modem, Audio H/W Accelerator, 10/100Mbits
Ethernet MAC Controller, Device Bay controller and 5 USB ports.SiS will start SiS530 volume shipment in October and SiS620 in
November. They are both priced at $29 for 10K orders. The SiS960
will be sampled in November, volume produced in December, and
priced at $15 for 10K orders.
***Diamond and Audio MP3 Loses to
RIAA
(October 16)
A federal court entered a temporary restraining order (TRO) to
enjoin the distribution and sale of Diamond Multimedia's Rio
portable MP3 recording device. The court granted a motion filed
by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the
Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) seeking a TRO
based on the judge's conclusion that the organizations are
likely to prevail on their position that the Rio violates the
Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA).The temporary restraining order remains effective for a period
of 10 days, therefore the court has scheduled a hearing on
RIAA's and AARC's motion for a preliminary injunction on Monday,
October 26."While we are gratified by the court's action today, it is
unfortunate that we had to resort to legal action to deal with
this issue," said Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of RIAA. "Our
preference has always been to work together with the many
computer and consumer electronics companies to arrive at
solutions to legitimize the commercial marketplace for digitally
distributed music in a manner that protects the rights of
artists."The court ruled that Diamond Multimedia's MP3 recording device
Rio violates the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA), which was
enacted as a result of the risks posed by unauthorized digital
copying of music. Under this law, the manufacturers, importers
and distributors of digital audio recording devices receive a
limited immunity from liability for copyright infringement, only
if in exchange they pay a royalty to compensate the artists,
composers, musicians, publishers and record companies who are
hurt by unauthorized copying; and incorporate into their
products a "serial copyright management system" (SCMS) to
prevent the unauthorized making of second generation copies.
These are minimal legal obligations required under this law, and
the court has ruled that Diamond Multimedia's Rio product is not
in compliance."The RIAA welcomes the development of new technologies that
provide new means for artists to make their music available to
consumers," said Rosen. "Our member companies have been working
with consumer electronics and computer companies to create such
products in a way that respects the rights of music artists.
Diamond's product Rio was destined to undermine the creation of
a legitimate digital distribution marketplace, and as such we
remain committed to working together with companies that make
portable digital recording devices for music, so that everyone
benefits."
***Diamond Responds
(October 16)
Diamond Multimedia Systems, announced today that it will
temporarily delay shipment of the company's new portable music
player, Rio PMP300.As part of the TRO imposed, the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA) is required to issue a bond in the amount of
$500,000. In the event that Diamond Multimedia eventually
prevails in court, the $500,000 from the RIAA will be used to
compensate Diamond for any damages resulting from the delay."While we are disappointed with the outcome of the hearing, we
understand that this is a very intricate area of the law and the
court was very attentive to novel legal issues. We believe Judge
Collins is a thoughtful judge and will be open to revising her
initial finding at the hearing for the Preliminary Injunction,"
said Andrew Bridges, attorney for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &
Rosati, representing Diamond Multimedia."Although a temporary restraining order was granted for ten
days, it is not definitive. If fact, Judge Collins, in her
tentative ruling distributed at the beginning of the hearing
indicated that, 'the Rio is not capable of serial copying,'"
said Ken Wirt, vice president of corporate marketing for Diamond
Multimedia. Serial copying by consumers is what the AHRA was
designed to prevent. The Judge also refused the RIAA's request
to stop Diamond from advertising the Rio.The RIAA filed an application for a Temporary Restraining Order
on October 8, 1998 to halt shipment of Diamond Multimedia's Rio
PMP300 portable music player. Diamond Multimedia filed its
opposition to the TRO on Tuesday, October 13 and final papers
were filed by the RIAA on Wednesday, October 14. (See related
press releases and legal documents on the Diamond Multimedia Web
siteDiamond is scheduled to file its brief opposing the Preliminary
Injunction by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20 and the RIAA will
respond on Thursday, October 22 by noon.
***NVIDIA Signals Move to PixelFlow
Architecture
(October 16)
While IDT crashed and burned its PixelFlow based project NVIDIA
has swept in a hired 6 key individuals including Gary Molner,
its key architect. NVIDIA will be opening an office in the
Research Triangle area.
***IDT Reports 2nd Quarter Results
- Tanks 3D Project - But Does
Not Disclose It
(October 13)
IDT announced results for the second quarter ended September 27,
1998. Second-quarter revenues were $130.6 million, a 2.9 percent
decrease from the immediately prior quarter, and a 9.2 percent
decrease from $143.8 million in the year-ago quarter. Excluding
one-time charges, proforma pre-tax operating results, projected
to be slightly below the $20.9 million loss of the previous
quarter, remained flat with a $20.3 million loss. Second-quarter
net loss, including non-recurring charges of $216.6 million, was
$237.1 million or $2.88 per share. Prior-quarter net loss,
including a non-recurring after-tax charge of $31.1 million, was
$50 million or $.61 per share. Earnings in the year-ago quarter
were $.03 per share.Units shipped were down compared to the immediately prior
quarter, reflecting the traditionally slow summer quarter
combined with the continuing semiconductor industry slowdown.
Partially offsetting the decline in revenue associated with
decreased unit sales was an increase in the Company's average
selling price (ASP), in part due to stronger sales of the
Company's WinChip microprocessor."The Company has taken several aggressive steps to bring its
cost structure in line with our view of industry conditions
during the balance of fiscal 1999 and fiscal 2000," said Len
Perham, IDT's president and chief executive officer. "The final
implementation of our cost reduction actions will be completed
during the third fiscal quarter. This traditionally stronger
quarter should allow for an improvement in operating results for
that period, and our goal is to return to profitability in the
fourth fiscal quarter."As announced in IDT's July 22, 1998 and September 9, 1998 press
releases, second-quarter fiscal 1999 results include a non-
recurring charge. The charge totals $216.6 million and was
recorded in the statement of operations as follows:Asset impairment and other: $131.9 million. During the
second quarter of fiscal 1999, the Company concluded an asset
impairment review for its Oregon fabrication facility.Provision for taxes: $35.0 million. The Company recorded a
provision for net deferred tax assets, which it carried on the
Balance Sheet.Restructuring charge: $46.4 million. A provision for exit
and closure costs for the San Jose, Calif. manufacturing
facility.Other non-recurring operating expenses: $3.3 million.
The majority of the costs recognized in the Q2 non-recurring
charge are non-cash in nature.
It is a sad tale where the talented PixelFlow team gets bounced
from company to company like a beach ball. What began with
significant promise as the first commercialization of PixelFlow
was dumped by HP in less than a year. IDT hired many key
individuals and about October 1 pulled the same exit switch. Not
to lose a beat NVIDIA has every indication of being #3 to try. A
question to be answered is - did NVIDIA get a PixelFlow license
from UNC? IDT's license came from IVEX but there is no
indication that it has passed to NVIDIA.We found it odd that IDT did not disclose the termination of the
project in its release. Further, it appears that another
existing 3D project is still underway.
***ARM Extends its Windows CE-Based
Solutions
(October 8)
ARM announced its support for the Windows CE operating system
Handheld PC Professional Edition.ARM has created a family of processors optimized for Windows CE.
This includes the ARM720T processor and the ARM920T and
StrongARM processors. ARM also provides integration services for
Windows CE-based solutions. These services include Design
Consulting, Software Development and Design Tools.
***NEC offers VR4121 RISC Processor
for Windows CE
(October 8)
NEC Electronics announced its 131- and 168MHz VR4121 64-bit MIPS RISC microprocessors will support the Windows CE operating
system, Handheld PC Professional Edition. NEC also offers the
VRC4171A companion chip for additional peripheral capabilities
such as color LCD graphics and PC Card control.The VR4121 CPU has many on-chip peripheral features: a memory
controller that supports SDRAM to increase system performance, a
fast infrared (FIR) IrDA(R) standard interface that performs
wireless communication at speeds of 0.5 megabits per second
(Mbps) up to 4 Mbps, a 10-bit A/D converter, and a 10-bit D/A
converter that supports audio output. The device also includes a
high-speed 16550 serial interface, a separate debugging port, a
96-key keyboard controller, a light-emitting diode (LED)
controller and a touchpanel controller.NEC's VR4121 CPU will be used in NEC Computer System Division's
two new, recently announced MobilePro handheld products. These
products demand the high performance and low power consumption
of the VR4121 processor to provide users with the benefits of
quick e-mail and Internet access in addition to other advanced
features.Built using advanced 0.25-micron technology, the VR4121 device
combines NEC's VR4120 core with key peripherals to create an
integrated solution. The VR4121 CPU targets the consumer market
of Windows CE-based portable embedded applications with low-
power consumption requirements. The integrated processor runs at
131MHz and requires less than 300 milliwatts (mW) of power while
providing 174 million instructions per second (MIPS), while the
168MHz version provides 224 MIPS.With a 16-kilobyte (KB) instruction cache and 8KB data cache,
the large cache sizes improve CPU performance over smaller
cache-size processors. Using the MIPS16 Application Specific
Extension (ASE), the VR4121 processor incorporates 16-bit long
instructions along with conventional 32-bit long instructions
that allow compact code size, resulting in lower memory
requirement and thus lowering overall system cost.Integrated on the new VR4121 CPU is a fast single-cycle,
multiply-and- accumulation (MAC) instruction that offers
designers the flexibility of a digital signal processor (DSP),
as well as data and fax modem capabilities, using PC-TEL's HSP
(host signal processing) soft modem technology. Also on board
are an interrupt control unit and a direct memory access (DMA)
address and control unit that can control four separate DMA
channels. The system also includes a real-time clock with four
timers and a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) unit that
controls up to 49 GPIO pins. The pins can be programmed by the
system designer, providing design flexibility. An additional
feature includes a power management unit with four discrete
power-saving modes: full speed, standby, suspend and hibernate.
The VR4120 core supports both 2.5-volt (V) core and 3.3V I/O
operation.The VR4121 processor's pin-for-pin compatibility allows
developers a seamless migration from NEC's VR4111 CPU designed
for lower-cost systems into the higher-performance systems
applicable for the VR4121 device.Designed for NEC's, the VR4100 family of MIPS RISC
microprocessors, the single-chip VRC4171A device adds both color
LCD graphics and PC Card control capability, creating an ideal
combination for Windows CE-based and other handheld products.
Ideal for battery-powered designs, the VRC4171A device operates
at 3.3V with a typical power consumption of 250mW and offers up
to four programmable GPIO pins for communication with outside
peripherals.The VR4121 processor, available in a 224-pin FPBGA package, will
sample in the fourth quarter of 1998 with mass production
scheduled for first quarter, 1999. Pricing is expected to be $25
per unit in 10, 000-unit quantities.For the VRC4171A companion chip, packaging is in a 208-pin LQFP
and is currently available. It is priced at $9 per unit in
10,000-unit quantities. Pricing and availability for both chips
are subject to change.
***Taiwanese Chip Makers To Support
NEC's VC Memory
(October 9)
Newsbytes reports that three Taiwanese memory chip manufacturers
have announced plans to support NEC Corp.'s virtual channel
memory (VCM) technology in future computer chipsets. The VCM
system realizes a 25 percent increase in memory chip
performance.The three companies, Acer Laboratories Inc. (AL), Silicon
Integrated Systems (SIS) and VIA Technologies Inc. are currently
developing chipsets that feature support for the VCM system and
will soon supply both socket-7 and slot-1 PC compatible VCM
synchronous DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chipsets.The chipsets are expected to ship during late 1998 and NEC said
a live system built around the chips and its memory will debut
at Comdex Fall in Las Vegas during November.The components under development will feature a scalable front-
side bus, that can support speeds from 66 megahertz to 133
megahertz, and support several memory standards in addition to
VC-SDRAM, including PC100/66 SDRAM and EDO memories.VCM technology, which NEC is offering to license for no cost to
any chip maker, achieve improvements in memory performance
because of changes in the internal design of the chip. This is a
different approach to that taken in many other new memory chip
formats, like double data rate or Rambus memory, which speed up
the chip interface but leave the core unchanged.NEC's system splits the single channel between the memory cells
and the input/output terminals into multiple virtual channels,
allowing data to be temporarily stored during periods of heavy
demand and thus improving the overall performance.An advantage for manufacturers is that the changes are internal
to the memory chip and the external size of the memory chips
will remain the same. This means manufacturers don't need to add
external components or modify computer circuit boards however
systems require use of a special VC Memory SDRAM memory
controller on the motherboard to realize the performance
increase.
***Autodesk begins shipping AutoCAD
Mechanical Release 14.5
(October 7)
Autodesk announced that it began shipping AutoCAD Mechanical
Release 14.5.AutoCAD Mechanical Release 14.5 includes users can attach
attributes to the parts in their design and add balloon call-
outs by dynamically dragging the balloons into position.Parts lists can be created from all the parts in the user's
design, or from just selected components.
With a single mouse-click, pre-set formats allow a user to
generate a parts list that conforms to international standards,
such as ANSI, BSI, DIN, ISO, JIS, as well as CSN (Czech) and GB
(Chinese), two new additions included in AutoCAD Mechanical
Release 14.5.User can create their own format for the display of the parts
list balloons and parts lists are intelligent objects, when
users make a change in a part, the corresponding item in the
parts list is changed in real time.AutoCAD Mechanical Release 14.5 is available as a stand-alone or
multi-platform license for both Microsoft's Windows 95 and
Windows NT platforms. Initially available in the U.S. and
Canada, AutoCAD Mechanical Release 14.5 has a U.S. suggested
retail price of $3,895 for the full system incorporating AutoCAD
Release 14.01. It also is available as an upgrade from AutoCAD
Release 14 for $195, and as an upgrade from AutoCAD Release 12
or 13 for $695. Upgrades from AutoCAD Mechanical Release 14 are
$79. VIP subscriptions, which provide automatic upgrades to
customers at no additional charge, are available for an annual
price of $345. VIP prices are valid only in the Americas.
***IBM and Dassault Systemes Launch
CATIA Version 5 For Windows
NT and UNIX
(October 12)
IBM and Dassault Systemes announced CATIA Version 5, a platform-
independent solution which runs on both Windows NT and UNIX.CATIA Version 5 delivers applications, which are scaleable by
design complexity and CAD/CAM experience. Occasional users, with
limited training, will find the Windows interface productive.
Dedicated, sophisticated users can use their knowledge in
process-based applications of the software. With CATIA Version
5, customers can start at any level and grow as the need
demands.CATIA 5 applications are built using standards, methodologies
and capabilities, such as C++, Java, CORBA, object-oriented
programming, STEP and direct visualizations. Its native OLE and
Internet/intranet Web compliance facilitates e-business digital
integration within the office and throughout the extended
enterprise.Existing CATIA Version 4 customers benefit from compatibility
with CATIA Version 5 allowing both systems to work together.
CATIA Version 5 product portfolio will be introduced over time,
CATIA Version 4 will continue to be sold, supported and enhanced
to provide significant increases in capability to maintain it as
the best CAD/CAM/CAE solution for the UNIX environment until
surpassed by CATIA Version 5.The first release of CATIA Version 5 delivers intuitive part and
assembly modeling. Generative Drafting automatically creates
associative drawings from 3D mechanical designs and assemblies.
The Real-time Rendering application produces photo-realistic
images through the use of technological material textures. The
Knowledge Advisor combines the power of explicit rules which
define product behavior, with interactive capture of design
intent as the design is being built. It assists in making
decisions and reaching optimum, designs in less time.CATIA Version 5 also provides easy-to-use, designer-oriented,
part stress and modal analysis for early part pre-validation.
Generative Part Structural Analysis brings to the designer the
power of finite element analysis pre-validation. With the
advanced Smart Shape Designer tools, designers can create
innovative free-form shape design deformation. Advanced
functions extend the shape and surface modeling functions to
morphing complex, multi-surface shapes.Other functions in the CATIA Version 5 Navigation application
let reviewers "fly through" 3D digital mockups for a thorough
inspection. Regardless of the mockup design size, Space Analysis
can accomplish high-speed interference checking computations,
measurement and real-time section viewing. The Fitting
Simulation application simulates mounting and dismounting
operations for pre-validation during design of assembly and
maintenance procedures.IBM and Dassault Systemes are making CATIA Version 5 available
to a selected number of customers in a variety of industries,
including aerospace, automotive, and machinery. This program
will ensure the first set of customers can implement these
applications efficiently with the required level of support.
Following successful implementation, IBM and Dassault Systemes
will announce general availability ordering information, terms
and conditions and prices.
***C-Cube's Set-top Solution Selected
By JVC for SKYPerfecTV!
Program in Japan
(October 12)
C-Cube Microsystems announced that Victor Company of Japan,
Limited (JVC) has selected C-Cube's AViA set-top decoder
solution as the core digital video engine for JVC's set-top
receiver that is being deployed for SKYPerfectTV! in Japan.
SKYPerfecTV! is delivering more than 170 channels of television
programming and services including video entertainment,
educational and interactive services not previously available in
Japan.The set-top supports multiple picture-in-graphics windows,
allowing users to easily locate and select channels by
displaying 16 promotional channels or 20 programs from a
selected area of interest such as sports, news, Japanese movies,
and foreign movies. This new set-top device also offers one of
the industry's most advanced Electronic Program Guides (EPG),
expanding the consumer's ability to navigate through the program
listings and previews.The JVC receiver also provides two S-Video/Audio outputs, which
connect the receiver to a television or VCR. This versatile
design provides an upgradable platform, allowing additional
communications functionality to be added.SKYPerfecTV! provides the following services:
-- Digital broadcasting technology services
-- Transmission facilities
-- Broadcasting operations
-- Production facilities for licensed broadcasters
-- Marketing Programs and advertising and sales campaigns
-- Subscriber services, such as creating comfortable viewing
environments
-- Issuance and management of IC cards
***VIRTOOLS ships NeMo Dev 3D
(SEPTEMBER 21)
Virtools announced that NeMo Dev, a behavioral interactive 3D
content development platform for the PC is shipping.NeMo Dev is a professional production tool for 3D games and
interactive 3D content, based on the concept of reusable
encapsulated behavioral components. It is an integration
platform for programmers (creating behaviors), graphic and sound
designers (importing media, as 2D, 3D objects, and sound) and
game designers (overviewing the whole production cycle).NeMo Dev includes :
- a behavior engine and a 3D rendering engine
- a standard library of reusable behavioral components
- a graphic user interface
- a SDKWith NeMo Dev's graphic user interface, developers can import 3D
models, textures, keyframe animations and sounds, then quickly
apply interactive behaviors to them - designing, testing and
refining the gameplay on the fly.With NeMo Dev's software developers kit (SDK), developers can
create new reusable behaviors - as C++ Dynamic Link Libraries
(DLLs) - to expand NeMo's existing library. Since developers can
program new behavioral components one time and add them to the
behavior library, they will be accessible to each team member
through the user interface and be reusable on future projects.
Developers can also replace NeMo's 3D engine with their own and
access the behavioral engine to integrate it with their own
technology.Key Benefits of the technology include:
- Game Design : Test new ideas early to avoid critical design
flaws, without relying on programming- Programming : reuse your code and make it accessible to
everyone on your team- 3D Graphics : Visualize gameplay implications on your artwork
- Project Management : speed up the production process,
capitalize on your proprietary behavior librariesNeMo Dev requires a Pentium compatible CPU (Pentium II is
preferred), Windows 95 or 98 with DirectX 5 or higher, 32 MB of
RAM (64 MB is preferred), 2D/3D accelerator board, and at least
80 MB of available hard disk space.NeMo Dev will be available directly from Virtools for $45,000
(five seats unlimited user license including distribution fee
for first published title, flat fee per title for following
published titles).
***Chip and Box Deals
(September 28)
EE Times reports that OpenTV, the leading provider of operating
systems for digital interactive TV, has signed license
agreements with IBM and NEC and set-top box makers Humax,
Visionetics and Avias from South Korea and Taiwan, respectively.
*** Computer Industry to Deliver
40 Million Broadcast-Enabled
PCs By Year 2000
(September 14)
MegaTech Resources estimates that the PC/TV market will reach 40
million broadcast-enabled PCs to homes by 2000. It is also
estimated that there will be 1 million HDTVs in households by
2000.
896.10 Out-of-Home Entertainment
***Henry Ford Attraction Signs Deal
for IMAX to Manage Theater
(October 2)
The Detroit News reports that the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield
Village has signed a deal with the IMAX Corp. to run its new
large-format theater.The $15-million, 400-seat theater, scheduled to open in November
1999, will be built adjacent to Henry Ford Museum's clock tower
entrance. The Dearborn theater will have a 62- by 80-foot screen
on which two- and three-dimensional films will be shown, making
the theater the only one of its kind in Michigan.There are more than 170 permanent IMAX theaters in 24 countries,
including one at the Detroit Science Center.The technology in the new facility will differ from the IMAX
theater in the science center, with a domed screen that provides
a wraparound experience. Henry Ford's flat 3-D screen will add
depth of field and require moviegoers to wear special glasses.The museum's IMAX theater will feature films that express the
theme of the museum.
***Cyrix MediaGX Processor Selected
to Power Atari Site4 Game
(October 5)
Cyrix, wholly-owned subsidiary of National Semiconductor
Corporation, announced that Atari Games Corporation has designed
the MMX-enhanced MediaGX processor into a new video arcade game,
Site4, released this month. The MediaGX processor delivers an
x86-based platform to the arcade gaming industry, providing
exceptional performance and versatility."The Atari Site 4 coin-operated video game provides this
competitive market with a next-generation game at a compelling
price," said Mike Bereziuk, senior vice president of worldwide
sales and marketing for Cyrix's parent National Semiconductor.
"Site4 is an excellent example of how the MediaGX processor
platform can cost effectively bring x86 processing into
innovative consumer entertainment products. Integrated processor
technology is the wave of the future for high-impact gaming
platforms as well as Information Appliances, such as set-top
boxes, web browsers and Windows Based Terminals." Cyrix
Corporation
***Oak Technology Secures Reversal
of Preliminary ITC
Determination to Terminate Investigation Against UMC
(October 7)
Oak Technology announced that the U.S. International Trade
Commission (ITC) has reversed the preliminary determination,
issued recently by the presiding administrative law judge,
terminating the ITC investigation against United
Microelectronics Corporation (UMC).The ITC has determined that the Company's complaint against UMC
does state an unfair trade practices claim under Section 337 of
the Tariff Act.The Company's complaint, filed with the ITC on April 7, 1998,
alleges that UMC is violating U.S. trade laws through the
unlicensed importation and sale for importation of CD-ROM
controller devices and products containing them that infringe
U.S. Patent No. 5,581,715 owned by Oak.In addition to UMC, the complaint names MediaTek, a UMC-
affiliated entity, and several CD-ROM drive manufacturers whose
drives contained the UMC and/or MediaTek CD-ROM controller
devices. Through its complaint, Oak seeks an order barring
importation into the United States of infringing CD-ROM
controller devices and products containing them, including CD-
ROM drives and personal computers.In July of 1997, Oak had filed a similar ITC complaint against
UMC alleging that certain CD-ROM controller devices imported or
sold for importation by UMC infringed Oak's U.S. Patent No.
5,581,715. Within days, UMC sought and Oak agreed to a
settlement of the dispute, and Oak withdrew its request for
action by the ITC.Several months later, on October 27, 1998, Oak commenced an
action against UMC in the United States District Court for the
Northern District of California for breach of the settlement
agreement, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair
dealing and fraudulent misrepresentations in connection with the
settlement.The complaint alleges that UMC unlawfully continued business in
the infringing controllers through MediaTek, UMC's Taiwanese
affiliate. Oak seeks both compensatory and punitive damages. The
District Court action is presently stayed pending the outcome of
the ITC action, and Oak intends to pursue it regardless of the
outcome at the ITC.The trial at the ITC is scheduled to commence on January 11,
1999, and a prompt decision is expected.The '715 patent at issue in both the current and previous ITC
actions describes an invention allowing CD-ROM drives to
communicate via the integrated drive electronics (IDE) bus,
which is standard equipment in most personal computers, thereby
eliminating the need for special host adapter cards and
associated interface electronics to allow a computer to locate
and transfer data from a CD-ROM.
***Enhanced Memory Systems Charges
NEC With Infringement of High
Performance DRAM Patent
(October 6)
Enhanced Memory Systems, the wholly owned subsidiary of Ramtron
International Corporation, has filed a patent infringement
complaint against NEC Electronics and related affiliates in the
United States District Court for the Northern District of
California in San Jose, Case No. C98-3843 VRW. In its suit,
which seeks an injunction and an unspecified amount of damages,
Enhanced Memory Systems alleges that NEC's Virtual Channel
Memory DRAM infringes United States Patent No. 5, 721,862 now
owned by Enhanced."As a small company we have been reluctant to engage in patent
litigation. However, we must take this course of action to
protect the investment we have made in developing what we
believe to be the next generation high performance DRAM," said
L. David Sikes, Ramtron's chairman and CEO. "The patent we are
asserting protects the unique architecture of our EDRAM products
that combine DRAM and SRAM technologies into one high
performance memory. We simply cannot allow others to infringe
upon our intellectual property rights in an area that is so
important to our company.""Because litigation is pending, we cannot discuss the merits of
our case," said Craig Rhodine, Enhanced's vice president and
general manager. "We can say, however, that we are very serious
about this action and plan to pursue it vigorously."Enhanced began shipping its high performance 4MB EDRAM product
in 1992 and announced the development of an advanced 133 MHz
synchronous EDRAM in November 1996. Patents were awarded to
Enhanced in 1997 and earlier this year covering the key
architecture and method of operation that allows the EDRAM to
achieve industry-leading performance. Enhanced has 12 additional
patent applications pending that relate to this technology.Enhanced has EDRAM manufacturing agreements with Siemens
Semiconductors and IBM Electronics, and is pursuing other
strategic partnerships to advance its EDRAM technology in the
marketplace.
--------------------------------------
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