Ampex Licenses Digital Still Camera Patents to Nikon and Funai
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Tue Jun 14 16:00:01 2005 EST
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jun 14, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Ampex Corporation (OTCBB:AEXCA) today announced that it
has concluded license agreements with two manufacturers of digital
still cameras based in Japan: Nikon Corporation (Nikon), and Funai
Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai).
The agreements permit the use of several United States and foreign
patents held by Ampex in the manufacture and sale of digital still
cameras. The licenses provide that their terms are confidential.
Pursuant to the licenses, Ampex will receive during its second
fiscal quarter negotiated payments totaling approximately $2 million
to settle liability for past use of its patents prior to conclusion of
the agreements. The licensees will also pay to Ampex quarterly running
royalties in the future based on the sales value of digital still
cameras that utilize its patents.
Royalties received will not include digital still cameras
manufactured by other companies that are licensed under Ampex's
patents. Ampex believes that a significant portion of cameras sold
under the Nikon brand are manufactured by a company that is also a
licensee of Ampex's patents and anticipates that royalties on these
products will be paid by the supplier and not by Nikon.
Ampex continues to negotiate patent licenses with additional
manufacturers of digital still cameras and camera-equipped cellular
telephones and other products and currently expects that it will
conclude additional agreements in the future.
In addition to the companies listed above, Ampex has recently
licensed it patents for use in digital still cameras, camera-equipped
cellular telephones and certain other digital consumer products to
Canon Inc., Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.,
Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
Ltd., Olympus Corporation, Pentax Corporation, Samsung Techwin Co.,
Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Sony Corporation and Victor Company of
Japan.
In October 2004, Ampex initiated litigation against Eastman Kodak
Company (NYSE:EK) in the International Trade Commission and in the
Federal District Court of the District of Delaware for Kodak's
unauthorized use of an Ampex patent in the sale of digital still
cameras.
The Company may initiate additional litigation to enforce its
patents if it is not able to conclude licenses on acceptable terms. |
