I emailed IR at AXC over the weekend with my longstanding questions on Digital tv, plus one on the Mitsu lawsuit. Got called today by AXC IR where I had all my questions that are answerable- answered. Somehow they just won't tell the exact stock price on this date in 99 in spite of all my pleadings (I even offered them a never before seen photo of an alien on the grassy knoll, and still they wouldn't divulge what the price will be on that date!), must be a government plot behind keeping all that info from us....;)
"What impact will digital tv's intro have on you?"
In the near future it won't have any impact at all. We haven't had a chance to review the standard yet. As we understand it, it only covers the TRANSMISSION of digital tv, in which we don't have a patented role. HARDWARE is where we have patents, so when products are produced some time from now we'll be reviewing them carefully to see if they infringe. Digital tv will be a very slow process, and you must keep in mind that just having a "standard" that's agreed on doesn't make it a reality.
"What about DCT, won't that boost sales of it?"
Our DCT is almost too good for the marketplace. Today's needs don't take full advantage of all of its capabilities. With digital tv, it could take fuller advantage of it's possibilities when it gets involved in digital programming, pushing the DCT product closer to its optimum in the future. As with many of our products we've created, we're so far out in front technologically there's sometimes not enough use for them for a long time!
However, DST is a much bigger possibility. That's what we all first thought when we heard the news- that it would create a bigger market for DST products.
We'll be watching the hardware coming out real close for patent infringement to collect royalties, we've been real vigilant about that in the past, but you have to realize there's a time factor involved here with real revenues from digital some time away.
"Are most of your patents in digital tv, or how likely is it that you'll see some revenue from patent infringement?"
Don't know how many of our patents are in digital tv, but many of our patents are overlapping. Just to give you an idea, until 1990, 80% of our products were in the tv business, and we've gotten hundreds of patents since then, so many could be in digital tv, but I don't know myself how many relate to it.
"Tell me about this road show!"
It's not really a road show in the true sense of the word, in which management takes off for weeks of face to face meetings with institutional investors prior to an IPO or secondary. This was just a face to face meeting set up by one of the three brokerages that cover us: Pennsylvania Merchant Group (which set up all 3 road shows).
Genesis merchant Group and Dabney Resnick Imperial Group based here in CA are the only other 2 brokerages that cover us at all currently.
There were 2 shows last week, one on Tuesday by the guy you're referring to(mentioned in posts a few days back he'd been to one) must have gone to with Craig McKibben, one on Friday with both BRamson and McKibben in NEW YORK with Institutions, and there'll be one more THIS THURSDAY IN DENVER WITH BRAMSON.(who's there and can go with a tape recorder or better yet, a video camera? Is it allowed, can one get in and then tape it some way? I'm stuck up here in Minnesota's ice and cant' get to Denver's new baggage eating airport. Could anyone out there make it to Denver on Thursday, would they even let you in the door? BTW, Denver would mean the Janus and Berger funds for sure would be able to go- tho who knows if they will?)
There are no official analysts who follow us yet, just these 3 brokerages putting out reports only for their own clients.
"What about the Mitsu lawsuit? Is it in trial yet or do you know when it'll be?"
No, its not in trial yet, and we still don't know when that'll be. The courts are still behind in their schedule, but they have to let us know a week in advance when it's finally time to go. This is known as a "trailing state". The court keeps postponing it.
"What about your lawsuit against them, is that tied into the court date of their lawsuit against you?"
No, it's in 2 separate places. Our lawsuit is much bigger than theirs, and it's unconnected. That is still currently scheduled for 3/31 in Delaware, while their smaller lawsuit against us is for here in CA and could be anytime at least a week ahead...... End of conversation
Is anyone in the Denver area able to go? Is anyone in the USA able to go? Could the alien on the grassy knoll go? Would sure love to be able to sit in on it, or at least pay good money to someone for the taped conversation!
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