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Technology Stocks : Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates -- VSEA -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (1617)	11/3/2003 8:30:19 AM
From: dantecristo	Respond to of 1929

"SLAPP Happy Late last year, Michelangelo Delfino and Mary Day were busy preparing for the publication of their first book, Be Careful Who You SLAPP (SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). The book [ mobeta.com ], essentially a 400-page briefing of the couple's three-year court battle with their former employer, is well titled, since it comes as a slap in the face to said ex-employer, Palo Alto-based Varian corporation. Varian thought it had silenced the loquacious Los Altos duo when it won a court trial forbidding them from posting nasty diatribes on Varian's financial Yahoo! pages ("InterNot Free Speech," March 27, 2003), but like another cyborg menace, they're baaaa-ack. ... Delfino and Day have appealed the injunction, and now, in a legal flip-flop, Varian seems to be in hot water for its attempts to suppress the book. In November 2002, Delfino and Day allege that Varian's lawyers had sent letters to bookstores and advertising outlets warning them away from the book by implying that the court order, halted because of the appeal, was still in effect. As a result, distributors like Barnes & Noble declined to carry SLAPP, and local papers declined to advertise it. "I just felt that I know nothing about the book, nothing about them, nothing about anything," admits Paul Nyberg, publisher of the Los Altos Town Crier. Nyberg's paper had initially accepted Delfino and Day's ad for the book, then dropped it after being contacted by Varian's lawyers. "And I thought, here's this big [judgment] that came in, and we just discussed it amongst our staff here and said, 'Well, we're not obligated to run this ad. Let's not get ourselves involved.'" That, according to Jon Eisenberg, Delfino and Day's appeals attorney, was plain wrong. "There would have been nothing wrong," says Eisenberg, "had [Varian's attorneys] written to Barnes & Noble and said, 'A book has been published. We believe it is defamatory. We urge you to consider carefully whether or not you should be distributing this book because it is defamatory.' There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is to say that the distribution of this book would violate a court order, because it's not true." ... In a rare move, the appeals court has elected to consider Varian and its attorneys for contempt at the same time it hears Delfino and Day's appeal. A judgment is due within 90 days. "Is it embarrassing [for Varian and its attorneys]?" continues Eisenberg. "Certainly, I'd be embarrassed. I'd be far more embarrassed if it was adjudicated for contempt. If they are held in contempt of the Court of Appeal, to me that would be mortifying." " metroactive.com

To: robert b furman who wrote (1617)	11/17/2003 8:34:32 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1929

7:11AM VSEA downgraded at UBS 48.44: UBS downgrades Varian Semi to Neutral from Buy based on valuation, as the stock is near their $50 target; however, firm acknowledges that the stock could continue to trade up with the group, driven by momentum.

To: robert b furman who wrote (1617)	11/20/2003 12:04:55 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1929

To date, these guys have a terrible track record in the current year. Only recently did they move their price target up on AMAT.....from $13. I would be curious to know if the analyst who made this call ever worked in the industry. RESEARCH ALERT-Banc of America cuts Varian rating Thursday November 20, 12:00 pm ET NEW YORK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Banc of America Securities (News - Websites) on Thursday said it cut its rating on Varian Semiconductor Equipment Inc. (NasdaqNM:VSEA - News) to "sell" from "neutral." The stock closed at $45.94 on the Nasdaq on Wednesday.

To: robert b furman who wrote (1617)	12/22/2003 8:10:08 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1929

7:24AM VSEA upgraded at UBS 41.80: UBS upgrades Varian Semi to Buy from Neutral based on valuation, saying the stock is attractive at 31x their CY05 EPS est. Target is $50.

To: robert b furman who wrote (1617)	1/5/2004 5:25:05 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1929

Varian Semiconductor Chosen as High Current Ion Implant Supplier at UMCi Monday January 5, 4:15 pm ET VSEA's Single Wafer VIISta 80HP Selected for the First Operational 300mm Fab in Singapore GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2004--Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSEA - News), a leading supplier of ion implantation systems, today announced that it has been chosen by UMCi as the high current ion implant supplier for UMCI's 300mm fab in Singapore. Varian Semiconductor has received multiple purchase orders from UMCi for its single wafer VIISta 80HP high current ion implanters based on the tool's overall throughput and particles performance. "UMCi's advanced processes require maximum cleanliness as well as outstanding economics. During extensive testing at UMCi, the customer found that the VIISta 80HP demonstrated superior particles performance over competitive tools," said Dr. Yong-Kil Kim, Varian Semiconductor's vice president and general manager of Asia operations. "In advanced device manufacturing, customers benefit from single wafer processing as it avoids device damage due to collisions of large particles with the wafer surface." The single wafer VIISta 80HP high current ion implanters will be used to produce logic devices such as advanced graphics chips and Field Programmable Gate Array at 90nm and beyond. "The VIISta 80HP ion implanter's unique dual magnet and broad ion beam deliver high decel mode productivity with exceptional energy purity," said Ernest Godshalk, Varian Semiconductor's president and chief operating officer. "The broad, low density beam reduces beam blow-up for greater angle accuracy. Customers worldwide select the VIISta 80HP for high current implant applications over batch systems because of the combined advantages of single wafer and the broad ion beam." The VIISta platform of ion implanters is the only one to exceed 300 wafers per hour, making it the fastest ion implanter platform available. All of the VIISta products feature the Varian Control System (VCS(TM)), the Varian Positioning System (VPS(TM)), and a common single wafer endstation. This high degree of commonality across the VIISta platform facilitates process matching throughout the tool set and provides flexibility in managing capacity, product mix changes, spare parts and training. About Varian Semiconductor Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. is a leading producer of ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors. The company is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and operates worldwide. Varian Semiconductor maintains a web site at www.vsea.com. The information contained in the company's web site is not incorporated by reference into this release, and the web site address is included in this release as an inactive textual reference only. Note: This release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, the statements concerning the company's performance, market share and technology leadership, technological capabilities and benefits are forward-looking statements and any statements using the terms "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risks and factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements. These include, among others, volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry; economic conditions in general and as they affect the company's customers; significant fluctuations in the company's quarterly operating results; the impact of rapid technological change; the company's dependence on the development and introduction of new products; the company's concentration on ion implantation systems and related products; concentration in the company's customer base and lengthy sales cycles; the highly competitive market in which the company competes; risks of international sales; foreign currency risks; and general economic conditions; and other factors identified in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.