Hitachi, SanDisk extend flash memory patent pact
Tuesday October 3, 1:26 am Eastern Time
TOKYO, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Japanese electronics giant Hitachi Ltd and U.S. data storage company SanDisk Corp (NasdaqNM:SNDK - news) said on Tuesday they have extended their patent cross-licensing agreement to the multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory technology.
The move is aimed at sharing their MLC technologies, which allow enlarged data storage capacity of flash memory, to speed up their development for new memory products to be used in digital cameras, portable music players and hand-held computers.
Under the new agreement, the two firms can use each other's patents related to binary and MLC flash memory in any of their products, with some exclusion of proprietary technology, they said in a statement.
As a part of the pact, Hitachi, one of the top five Japanese semiconductor makers, will supply some of its flash memory products to SanDisk, the world's largest supplier of flash data storage products, they added.
Terms of the pact were not disclosed.
Hitachi and SanDisk had signed a similar cross-licensing contract on binary flash memories in 1997.
At 0430 GMT, shares in Hitachi stood at 1,230 yen, up 0.08 percent. |
