You are right on target. This is simply the way most large technology
companies do business. Our friends at Texas Instruments here in Dallas have a
large patent protection program, both in-house and using outside counsel,
that has made literally hundreds of millions of dollars for TI in the
last ten years protecting its patents, largely against Japanese chip companies.
And Hedy Lamar did "invent" spread spectrum radio transmission--or at least the
concept--and donated her somewhat crude ideas to the US government during
WWII.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 5:32
PM
Subject: [APML] Holy Patent Infringement
Batman!
Hey,
Having been in a company where we were battling with
another one over this kind of issue, I can strongly speculate what is
happening.
- Stock price valuation
In
the case I am aware of, company Q claims to have invented a technology
actually invented by an actress in 1942. But by making such claim, and
strongly enforcing it via legal and political avenues, the company took
it's stock price up 1000% in the late 90s (ok it is lower now, but the
main company officers are well rewarded).
Lesson 1 = Tell everyone you are the keeper of
knowledge, and the first ones to believe you (and the last to realize facts)
is the investor community (especially the public ones not the industry
ones).
It
does not mean that any company is "bad" but does mean they mean
business... The kind where they make enough to be satisfied with.
Now if they can also build a product that is very available, inexpensive, and
market controlling the results are even more enjoyable.
Right now it seems to me that Tasco has shown that
they will invest funds to make a move on the marketplace and Meade has to show
the Street they will respond to keep their stock from devaluating
further.
Fun
stuff to watch and purely speculation on my part.
Keith