The Townshend Battle of the Modems War continues:
September 04, 1997 4:03 PM
DOW JONES NEWS SERVICE
ROCKWELL INTL SKEPTICAL ABOUT 3COM MODEM TECH LICENSING
PALO ALTO, Calif. (Dow Jones)--Rockwell
International Corp. (ROK) took a skeptical
approach to Wednesday's patent licensing
proposal from 3Com Corp. (COMS),
questioning whether technology from Brent
Townshend was key to Rockwell's 56Kflex
fast modem technology.
In a prepared statement from the Seal Beach,
Calif., electronics maker, Rockwell said, "we
do not believe that Townshend's patents, if
and when issued, will be fundamental to
K56flex and where the (International
Telecommunications Union) standard is
heading."
The company's position may make arriving at
a standard for this new high-speed modem
more difficult. Both Rockwell and 3Com have
competing designs for the 56K modem, which
operates about twice as fast as the previous
generation of 33.6 kilobits per second
modems, and the differing designs don't
communicate.
A standard backed by the union would bridge
that communications gap.
A Rockwell spokesperson wasn't available for
additional comment.
On Wednesday, 3Com, acting as exclusive
licensee of Stanford University consulting
professor Townshend's technology, offered
terms for licensing the technology to makers of
modem semiconductors. The company
proposed licensing terms of $1.25 a modem
and $9 per modem port, explaining that it
hoped the proposal would further efforts to
reach a standard.
But Thursday Rockwell challenged the need
for such a license.
"We are greatly surprised, that given 3Com's
belief in the importance of Townshend's
technology, they chose to keep it quiet during
the nearly year-long standards process," the
company's statement said. "We call upon
3Com to publicly reveal what components of
the contributions are based on Townshend
technology."
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