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From: rusty@steelmill.cs.umd.edu (Rusty Haddock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ti
Subject: Re: Commodore getting sued by TI?
Keywords: Is their truth in this rumor?
Message-ID: <25851@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 2 Aug 90 16:04:21 GMT
References: <26408@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
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In article <26408@unix.cis.pitt.edu> jcfst@unix.cis.pitt.edu (John C. Fossum) writes:
   >
   >     In the most recent issue of Amazing Amiga (July or August, I don't
   >have the thing in front of me), in the Roomers column, there is a bit
   >on how TI is looking to sue some companies, Commodore included, for
   >I think using similar schematics? Correct me and inform me if I'm 
   >wrong.
   >
   >-Steve M. Suhy

Is this Steve or John?  Anyhow, the short bit in the Roomers column states
that TI was suing a number of computer manufacturers due to some patents TI
holds on very basic hardware technology/technique.  If you had really read
the column you'd see that nothing was mentioned about "similar schematics".
Wouldn't that be copyright infringement though?  (Marco? 0.5 :-)

From the 5-years I spent at TI I know that the company does hold patents on
very basic digital electronics stuff.  This kind of stuff is usually taught
to anyone involved with digital computers at the hardware level.  I believe
that, if the story about the suit is true, the patents being protected
involves performing I/O to/from the CPU via bit-manipulation.  Yes, very
basic stuff but TI does hold patents of this type among many others.

Maybe someone from TI could comment on this?  (That's why I cross-posted
to comp.sys.ti)

		-Rusty-

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Rusty Haddock				DOMAIN:	rusty@mimsy.cs.umd.edu
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University of Maryland			"IBM sucks silicon!"
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