Hi charred water; Re NEC/Hitachi, you wrote: "Carl, if a legal entity on Jan 1/2001, how would you expect the joint venture to execute a license agreement before that date?"
Your "if" is busted. Elpida has been a legal entity for some time. I suppose you figure that Elpida hasn't signed any lease agreements for all the offices that are going to magically start selling DRAM on Jan 1. How do you think they're going to be able to answer the phones if they can't sign a contract with the phone company? In fact, the US branch of Elpida dates back to at least August 15. I believe the Japanese version dates to April.
Here's Elpida's statement to the press about the situation with the negotiations:
October 2, 2000
NEC-Hitachi spin-off, Elpida, eyes SDRAMs
Less clear is Elpida's Rambus plans. The company's 256-Mbit Rambus DRAM, based on 0.13-micron design rules, is slated to come out in the fourth quarter of 2001, according to the road map Yasui presented. However, this differed from a road map later provided to the press, which showed the 0.13-micron 256-Mbit RDRAM being introduced at the same time as the DDR and SDRAM products.
The discrepancy stems from unresolved licensing and royalty issues between Rambus and the new company, an Elpida spokesman said. Both Hitachi and NEC have signed royalty payment agreements with Rambus Inc. covering RDRAM, SDRAM and DDR technologies, but those are due to expire by year's end when Elpida takes over the product line. "We don't have a strict schedule for Rambus [DRAM] because we need to get an agreement with Rambus," an Elpida spokesman said. "We are trying to start negotiations that will influence the start of the development."
Yasui said he'd like to come to terms with Rambus before the end of the year, a schedule that would avoid the legal battle that has erupted between Rambus and memory makers Micron, Infineon and Hyundai.
techweb.com
I know that the thread morons don't believe what you read in the trade press (when it differs from their distorted view of the memory business), so here's proof from the US gov FTC website that Elpida USA dates to August:
Number of Early Terminations Granted Between 08/15/00 12:00:00 AM and 08/15/00 11:59:00 PM:
Transaction Number: 20004255
Early Termination Date: 08/15/2000
Acquiring Person: Hitachi, Ltd.
Acquired Person: Elpida Memory (USA) Inc.
Acquired Entity: Elpida Memory (USA) Inc.
ftc.gov
Also:
thedailydeal.com
-- Carl
P.S. The longs on this thread live in an incredibly paranoiac universe. Transnational cabals of evil journalists and companies seem to have only one goal in mind - the death of Rambus. Hey, if anyone really believes that cr@p, they ought to sell their stock. |
