Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : The New Qualcomm - write what you like thread. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (5052)	8/4/2002 9:21:48 PM
From: TShirtPrinter	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12252

Greetings Maurice, The 747 whinning was very good, but your best as I remember is the VW40 for WCDMA. That looks like it will have a bit longer to go. And the hagfish.....I still smile as I think of that. Best to you, Tony

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (5052)	8/5/2002 6:58:21 AM
From: jackmore	Respond to of 12252

Maurice, Fair enough. I wonder how the Buridan's ass analogy might be applied to the GSM cabal's self delusion. They have already paralyzed themselves and will eventually starve if they continue to defer the inevitable deployment of CDMA. On the other hand, maybe just the Amarican usage of "asses" is more apt in this instance. No? /jack

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (5052)	9/3/2002 8:53:23 AM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 12252

Samsung Ranks 2nd in Patent Registration in China hankooki.com By Kim Sung-jin Staff Reporter Samsung Electronics Co. (SEC) ranked second in the number of patent applications by foreign firms operating in China. According to China¡¯s State Intellectual Property Office yesterday, SEC had registered a total 794 patents in China at the end of last month, stepping up as the second most frequent filer of patents among the foreign firms in China. Samsung outstripped Sony and Royal Philips Electronics, which were placed third and fourth with 725 patents and 712 patents respectively. Matsushita Electronic Industrial of Japan, which led foreign firms in the number of registered patents by owning 1,256 patents in China, was evaluated as the foreign company with the biggest competitive edge in China. Ericsson of Sweden, Mitsubishi Electronic of Japan and IBM of the U.S. ranked fifth to seventh holding 633 patents, 415 patents and 363 patents, respectively. Korea¡¯s second largest electronics giant LG Electronics (LGE) shared ninth place with Hitachi of Japan with 345 patents each. Accordingly, Korea ranked fifth in number of patent registrations in China, but lagged far behind China and Japan. The number of patent registrations in China by Korean firms rose 40 percent from 608 in 2000 to 1,024 last year. However, it was found that Korea too heavily depended on SEC and LGE for patenting products and technologies in China. The two electronics firms accounted for more than 70 percent, or 1,139 patents, of all patent registrations filed by Korean firms in China. Japan topped the chart with its total number of patent registrations amounting to 5,577 cases, followed by China with 5,394, the U.S. with 3,116 and Germany with 1,494. France, Switzerland and the U.K. came next with 782, 562 and 370 patents, respectively. ``The number of patent registrations is the indicator of the competitive edge of either a company or a nation. The government, jointly with domestic companies, will have to map out an integrated plan to increase our intellectual property in order to solidify its foothold and lead their businesses into success in China,¡¯¡¯ said an official with the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Meanwhile, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) last March ranked Korea as eighth in the number of international patent applications last year. Korea entered the top 10 for the first time through the registration of 2,318 applications with the Geneva-based agency last year. sjkim@koreatimes.co.kr

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (5052)	10/9/2002 10:56:06 AM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 12252

KT's privatization in dispute at WTO koreaherald.co.kr Although KT Corp. has completed the privatization process, the United States, European Union (EU) and Canada took issue with KT's status at the World Trade Organization (WTO), government sources said yesterday. The dispute is delaying the procedure, initiated by the Korean government on Sept. 4, which would exclude KT from the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). KT intends to be excluded from the application of the GPA by showing that its privatization is complete. Korean government officials expressed displeasure about the dispute in a GPA committee meeting at the WTO headquarters in Geneva Tuesday. Notably, Korean officials argued that some members, including the United States, opposed the exemption without offering concrete reasons or evidence. The Korean government set about privatizing KT in 1993. In May this year, the government sold its entire stake and a general shareholders' meeting Aug. 20 sealed the privatization process. KT, which was spun off from the Korean government in 1981, is widely regarded as a company that helps accelerate competition and improve efficiency in the telecom market. The telecom operator appointed three additional external directors, to a new total of nine, a measure aimed at stepping up supervision and management independence. The Ministry of Information and Communication is now unable to exercise its voting right for shares it held, allowing KT to make its own decisions free from tight regulations. KT also raised the foreign ownership ceiling from 37.2 percent to 49 percent, an issue that has drawn keen interest from foreign investors as well as analysts. Korean officials in Geneva pointed out that they sincerely and thoroughly answered questions regarding the privatization of KT in separate negotiations with the United States and the EU. Therefore, the United States and the EU should submit their reasons for opposition to the exclusion as soon as possible, Korean government officials said. However, the United States, EU and Canada repeated their stance that more time is needed to check whether KT is free from the influence and control of the Korean government. WTO members are obliged to notify any change in the status of state-run agencies to the GPA committee. As long as other members show no opposition, companies in question are usually excluded from the GPA list. The WTO is set to hold the GPA committee meeting within December to deliberate on KT's status, but if those three countries remain opposed to the change, the dispute is likely to drag on indefinitely. A similar case is NTT, a telecom giant of Japan, which completed the privatization process three years ago and has yet to be excluded from the GPA list. In late August, KT confirmed the appointment of Lee Yong-kyung as CEO at a meeting of shareholders and wrapped up the drawn-out privatization procedure to emerge as a full-fledged private telecom giant. SK Telecom had purchased an 11.34 percent stake in KT when the Korean government unloaded its entire stake in an attempt to privatize the company in May. SK Telecom is currently under pressure to dispose of its 9.55 percent stake in KT. KT owns a 9.27 percent stake in SK Telecom, a mutual stake holding that has sparked disputes about the overhang issue - widespread concerns about possible downward gyrations of share prices when either KT or SK Telecom dumps its stake in each other on the stock market. Apart from the stake holding squabble, KT CEO Lee said KT will focus on restructuring "software" such as reshuffles of personnel as the company has completed its "hardware" restructuring through job cuts. Since 1997, KT has trimmed its workforce from 60,000 to 44,000, helped by its spin-off strategy involving its sprawling units including the phone directory service unit. KT, which virtually controls the country's fixed-line and broadband network, maintains high-speed Internet infrastructure and provide reliable telecom backbone services. Analysts said other telecom carriers are worried about KT's market dominance, based on its monopolistic control on the network infrastructure. Its huge potential in both fixed and mobile sectors is now sending alarms to its rivals including SK Telecom, LG Telecom and Dacom Corp. Up until recently, KT has been restricted in doing business largely because of its status as a state-run telecom operator. Government officials often interfered with the appointment of key officials and the overall strategy, which in turn gave some maneuvering room for its competitors. KT has two mobile units: KTF, the country's second largest mobile carrier, and KT ICOM, a unit founded for operating W-CDMA service. (insight@koreaherald.co.kr By Yang Sung-jin Staff reporter 2002.10.10