CUPERTINO, Calif. – Feb. 20, 2007 – Alliacense today announced that Funai Electric Co., Ltd. has purchased a Moore Microprocessor Patent™ (MMP) Portfolio license from The TPL Group, thereby joining 13 other global manufacturers that have captured early-mover MMP licensing berths in specific industry segments. Alliacense confirmed that subsequent licensees in segments where early tiers have been secured are subject to progressively higher royalty rates.
“We welcome Funai to the growing family of companies whose management realizes the value of participating in the formative stage of our MMP Portfolio Licensing Program,” said Mike Davis, Alliacense Senior VP of Licensing. He noted that Funai manufactures products for its own well-known brands such asSylvaniaand Emerson as well as for several of the world’s largest retailers and even competitors.
According to Davis, the strong momentum of the MMP Portfolio Licensing Program validates the substantial investments made and risks taken by inventor Chuck Moore and The TPL Group over nearly two decades. “The MMP Portfolio Licensing Program is a prime example of how investment in the development and protection of one generation of innovation can help provide a platform for the next generation of innovation.”
The intellectual property assets protected by the MMP Portfolio encompass fundamental design techniques that enable higher performance and lower cost digital electronic systems ranging from cell phones and portable music players to communications infrastructure and medical equipment as well as automobiles, which today utilize dozens of microprocessors.
The far-reaching applications of MMP design techniques have prompted major manufacturers around the globe to purchase MMP Portfolio licenses. Since January 2006, HP, Casio, Fujitsu, Sony, Nikon, Seiko Epson, Pentax, Olympus, Kenwood, Agilent, Lexmark, Schneider Electric and NEC Corporation have purchased MMP Portfolio licenses.
About the MMP Portfolio
Named after legendary inventor Charles “Chuck” Moore, the MMP Portfolio includes seven US patents as well as their European and Japanese counterparts fundamental to the design of modern microprocessors, microcontrollers and system-on-chip devices. With origins that date back to 1980s collaboration between Moore and The TPL Group, the MMP Portfolio today is jointly owned by privately held The TPL Group and publicly held Patriot Scientific Corporation (PTSC.OB).
About Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
Funai Electric Co., Ltd., established in 1961, is headquartered in Osaka, Japan and is listed in the Tokyo Securities Exchange First Section (6839). Funai Corporation is the North American sales and marketing company for consumer electronic products manufactured by Funai Electric under the brand names of SYLVANIA, SYMPHONIC, FUNAI, and EMERSON. For more information on the Funai group, please visit www.funaiworld.com.
About Alliacense
Alliacense is a TPL Group Enterprise executing best-in-class design and implementation of Intellectual Property (IP) licensing programs. As a cadre of IP licensing strategists, technology experts, and experienced business development/management executives, Alliacense focuses on expanding the awareness and value of TPL’s IP portfolios. Founded in 1988, The TPL Group has emerged as a coalition of high technology enterprises involved in the development, management and commercialization of IP assets as well as the design, manufacture and sales of proprietary products based on these same IP assets. For more information, visit www.alliacense.com.
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Alliacense and Moore Microprocessor Patent (MMP) are trademarks of Technology Properties Limited (TPL). All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.