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Technology Stocks : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Craig Freeman who wrote (3134)	5/29/1998 5:49:00 AM
From: limtex	Respond to of 60323

Craig - How nuch would give for $1 of cash to be collected at some time in the future with all the legal roadblocks and hurdles and then from companies that may not have much cash left for paying royalties t people that they had no intention of paying in the first place. I'm afraid your answer is uncommercial. I don't know if Aus concerns are 100% but they are certainly over 50% if there are a number of small manufactureres out there selling an SNDK protected product without authorization. Can you imagine how long Disney, who are also not struggling, would wait if stores all over the country started to sell uunlicensed product. About 0.1 secs and there would be restrant orders all over the place. The lack of response from the company is the best indicator you and we have. Silence and inaction in the face of an apparently massive IPR infingement doesn't imply that the things are all OK!! The company reallly really ought to answer this one. L

To: Craig Freeman who wrote (3134)	5/29/1998 6:39:00 AM
From: Ausdauer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 60323

Craig, My understanding is that the CFA (CompactFlash Association) allows members who pay dues and follow the CFA guidelines for interconnectivity/compatibility to display the CF logo. In that way the standard can gain wider acceptance with a larger number of design-ins, deeper market penetration and greater end-user recognition and acceptance. The CFA does not require chip manufacturers to follow Sandisk's recipe for CompactFlash and it would be possible to design around some of the patents and avoid paying royalties. The 10Q suggests that this is plausible. I do not think the CFA was created to guarantee royalty payments to Sandisk. The point is, I really do not understand the arrangements and nobody has been willing to explain it to me. Royalty and licensing arrangements are confidential and therefore you get stone walled if come anywhere near that subject to management. I think it wouldn't be a breach of confidentiality to at least mention plans to seek royalty payments from independent producers that may be bootlegging SNDK technology/intellectual patents. By the way, I forgot to mention PNY as another CF distributor. That brings my unofficial tally to 6 companies.

To: Craig Freeman who wrote (3134)	5/29/1998 12:17:00 PM
From: Esa	Respond to of 60323

This is message #1710 which explains the role of CFA & Sandisk. Bill (W.Frank) is or was the manager of CFA: To: +THC (1699 ) From: +W. Frank Wednesday, Nov 19 1997 3:04PM ET Reply # of 3137 The CFA licenses the CompactFlash trademark and CF logo trademark royalty free to CFA members. Technology is not license through the CFA. If a company uses SanDisk technology they must license it from SanDisk. If you want more information on the CFA go to their website at compactflash.org W. Frank

To: Craig Freeman who wrote (3134)	5/29/1998 12:22:00 PM
From: Esa	Respond to of 60323

Bill has done a good job - there are more than 100 members in CFA. INDUSTRY VETERAN WILLIAM J. FRANK NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMPACTFLASH ASSOCIATION PALO ALTO, CA, Jan. 22, 1996 -- William J. Frank, a high technology industry executive for many years and a founder of the InfoCorp market research firm, has been named executive director of the CompactFlash Association (CFA). The CFA, which was founded in October, 1995, also announced that it has moved its offices from Santa Clara, CA, to Palo Alto, CA. The association was formed to promote adoption of the CompactFlash storage specification as a new industry storage standard. SanDisk Corporation (formerly SunDisk) is producing CompactFlashTM (CFTM), the world's smallest removable data storage system, and other companies are expected to become alternate source suppliers in 1996 under license from the CFA. The CFA's 12 founding members are Apple Computer Inc., Canon, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, LG Semicon, Matsushita (Panasonic), Motorola, NEC, Polaroid, SanDisk, Seagate and Seiko Epson. As the CFA's first executive director, Frank will oversee development of second sources, growth of the association and daily business activities. He will report to the CFA's board of directors. Frank is president of Augur Visions Inc., a Los Altos, CA-based, market research and management consulting firm which works with U.S., Japanese and European computer and data storage companies. In 1982, he was one of the founders of the InfoCorp market research firm where he later managed all research in the storage area. Earlier, Frank held high-level management positions with several companies including CalComp, Pertec Computer, Actron Industries, General Electric and Digital Systems. "Over the years," said Frank, "I've worked on the market development of numerous storage technologies including CD ROM, magnetic, optical and tape. CompactFlash is perhaps the most exciting new storage technology that has been introduced in the last decade. CF will have a major impact in several huge markets including consumer electronics, industrial, communications and computing." Frank has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Case Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Southern California Graduate School of Business Administration. He can be reached at the CFA, P.O. Box 51537, Palo Alto, CA 94303. Phone (415) 843-1220. Fax (415) 493-1871. CF and CompactFlash are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation and are licensed royalty-free to the CFA which in turn will license them royalty-free to its members.