Scalpel Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I missed this ... Doesnt seem to have been posted (well not that I can find) (link to IGN article) Canon Burned in Nano Proprietary / SED Display Legal Battle Contract lost, SED technology now open for bidding. by Gerry Block March 1, 2007 - More details in Canon's recent legal loss to Nano Proprietary have come to light today. As previously reported, a Texan judge recently ruled in favor of carbon nanotube research company and major nanotechnology patent holder Nano Proprietary, concluding that Canon violated the terms of the licensing agreement for electron emitting carbon nanotubes by sharing information with Toshiba while launching a planned joint SED display manufacturing partnership. Nano Proprietary launched the lawsuit in 2005.Canon will now face a $5.6 million one-time payout to Nano Proprietary for contract violation and damages. Perhaps far more troubling for Canon, however, the breach of contract now permits Nano Proprietary to license its technology to any interested in the technology. Samsung is reportedly already in talks with Nano Proprietary and if it, or any of the other major HDTV manufacturers, choose to partner with the company, Canon will have lost its best chance to break into the growing HDTV manufacturing business with impressive new technology. They were so beautiful at CES 2006. Now we may never see them again. Even were Canon to renegotiate its contract, Nano Proprietary is expected to have the upper hand in the negotiations and may well end up charging Canon far more than what the company originally expected to be paying for the rights to the carbon nanotube technology. Sadly, until new agreements are made SED technology is essentially dead in the water, making the possibility of the planned 2008 launch highly questionable. J. Followup: Canon Chairman says won't give up on flat panels (Link Reuters, 2nd March 2007: Canon Chairman Replies) TOKYO, March 2 (Reuters) - Canon Inc. (7751.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) Chairman Fujio Mitarai said he expects his company to win a patent-related dispute in the United States and pursue its plan to enter the flat-panel television market."I don't think we will lose" in the continuing litigation brought by Nano-Proprietary Inc. (NNPP.OB: Quote, Profile , Research), Mitarai said during a meeting with analysts on Friday, according a company spokesman. Texas-based Nano-Proprietary in December cut off its licence agreement with the Japanese electronics giant for trying to share the patents with Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, NEWS , Research). and other firms. Tokyo-based Canon and Nano-Proprietary are trying to work out a settlement before the U.S. court rules on damages due the U.S. firm, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Nano-Proprietary's technology that was licensed to Canon is used for surface-conduction electron-emitter displays (SED) TVs, which are said to have brighter images and consume less energy than existing LCDs and plasma models. Mitarai said manufacturing cost is another issue for SEDs. "We wouldn't go ahead with SEDs until we are sure we can make the business profitable in three years," he said. Mitarai also said Canon will focus on developing future technologies in medical, intellectual robots and security, and aim to launch new businesses in those areas after 2010, the spokesman said. Canon reiterated its mid-term earnings targets of 5.5 trillion yen ($46.53 billion) in annual sales on net income of 550 billion yen in 2010. This year, Canon is aiming for an eighth year of earnings growth, with group sales of 4.45 trillion yen and an operating profit of 765 billion yen. And the hounds baying at the heels of Canon ....... Samsung To Chase SED TV Patent (Smarthouse link) Samsung have made approches to get access to SED TV technology a company insider has told Smarthouse News. The news comes as Canon faces the possibility that they may have to drop the TV technology after a US federal judge's ruled that Canon violated a licensing agreement for a key piece of intellectual property.Samsung have made approches to get access to SED TV technology a company insider has told Smarthouse News. The news comes as Canon faces the possibility that they may have to drop the TV technology after a US federal judge's ruled that Canon violated a licensing agreement for a key piece of intellectual property. Canon's deal to license Nano-Proprietary's carbon nanotubes was signed back in 1999, but the Texas-based company said that Canon's 2004 partnership with Toshiba broke that contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Oh man....what a waste of good technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELso Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Although, this means the carbon tube technology would appear to be available to all comers, so it may mean that there will be competition in the marketplace... In short, this may be bad short term news but good long term... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Phoenix Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Would an SED TV outperform LCD and/or Plasma, in terms of specs? (the usual ones) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELso Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 The spin thusfar suggests it does, with low refresh rates and high resolution and contrast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Downawell Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Although, this means the carbon tube technology would appear to be available to all comers, so it may mean that there will be competition in the marketplace...In short, this may be bad short term news but good long term... We can only hope. I want my next TV to be a SED, but at this rate there'd better be a lot of life left in my Grundig CRT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geforce1503560728 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Would an SED TV outperform LCD and/or Plasma, in terms of specs? (the usual ones) Yes it would but at a premium price. I remember reading another article saying how the technology isn't cheap to manufacture. If that is the case, then it would be better to let Samsung have a go at it and maybe produce an affordable SED tv for the masses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
???? Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Little more info... Canon's loss of patent licence could cost it millions US-A US Court ruling against Canon could cost the printing and imaging vendor millions. Two years ago‚ Texas based Nano-Propriety Inc. sued Canon over a patent licence related to flat panel TVs. Canon lost the licence - which cost the Tokyo based giant a one-time payment of $5.6 million - because of the lawsuit. A fresh agreement could cost millions more‚ lawyers said. The US District Court for the Western District of Texas ruled last week that Canon breached its deal by trying to share the flat display technology with Toshiba. Canon and Toshiba entered a joint venture in 2004 to develop the panel technology. They planned to mass-produce the new surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) TVs in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However‚ Nano-Propriety contested that Canon’s license did not extend to Toshiba. Canon claimed the joint venture with Toshiba was a subsidiary as the firm's 50% stake included one more share than Toshiba's stake. In an effort to resolve the situation‚ Nano-Propriety offered to negotiate a separate licence agreement with Toshiba. But Canon blocked talks between Nano-Propriety and Toshiba. In January 2007‚ Canon said it would buy out Toshiba in an attempt to resolve the dispute. But US Judge Sam Sparks said the move came too late. The two parties are now reportedly trying to reach a settlement before a court decision on damages to Nano-Propriety. Canon’s plans for mass production of the displays are now gone. The sale of new TVs‚ scheduled for fourth quarter‚ shall be limited to Japan on a small scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Bugger, it looks like the end of SED. I may have to keep my SXRD longer then the two years I expected. Unless Samsung buys Cannon/ Toshiba’s research and production info they will take years to come up with a marketable product. Nano Proprietary may get $5.6 million out of Cannon, but it may be the last money they ever see for their technology. Seems to me that they may have shot them selves in the foot, as there is no guaranty anyone else will pick up the ball and run with it. We could all be loosers here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Bugger, it looks like the end of SED.I may have to keep my SXRD longer then the two years I expected. Unless Samsung buys Cannon/ Toshiba’s research and production info they will take years to come up with a marketable product. Nano Proprietary may get $5.6 million out of Cannon, but it may be the last money they ever see for their technology. Seems to me that they may have shot them selves in the foot, as there is no guaranty anyone else will pick up the ball and run with it. We could all be loosers here. Bloody egos what's $5.6m! I suspect legal cost will eat that up cheers laurie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djOS Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 How bloody short sighted are the Nano-Propriety Inc lot, I would have been jumping for joy if a CE company the size and caliber of Toshiba wanted to help bring my technology to mass market! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drizt Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 How bloody short sighted are the Nano-Propriety Inc lot, I would have been jumping for joy if a CE company the size and caliber of Toshiba wanted to help bring my technology to mass market! Perhaps they thought Toshiba were doing a piss poor job of getting the product to market, how many years have they been at it now? Perhaps they thought a different company (one that they might have been in talks with before the seperation from toshiba) maybe able to get the product to market much quicker and with more success. Just food for thought rather than jumping to conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Problem is that Canon and Toshiba are the ones that have spent a lot of time and money into getting a marketable product happening. They are not going to just give that expensive R&D away now are they? Any other player will either have to start again or pay big dollars for Canon-Toshiba’s work. The delay involved with having to start from scratch will probably mean the death of SED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalpel Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 More very unsurprising news - Well it is surprising that it took them so long to decide to do this Canon plans to appeal SED decision30 March 2007 21:18 by Dela Canon plans to appeal SED decisionCanon Inc. is to appeal an "expected" court decision in the United States regarding technology used in surface-conduction electron-emitter displays (SED). The company expects the ruling in the first trial to go against it after the court judged earlier this year that a licensing deal stuck with Nano-Proprietary in 1999 did not extend to Canon's partner, Toshiba. Tokyo-based Canon expects that ruling to come in late April, President Tsuneji Uchida said at a general shareholders meeting. SED displays tout brighter images and less power consumption than LCD and Plasma sets currently on the market. Canon had hoped to enter the $84 billion market for flat-panel TVs in partnership with Toshiba. (Source) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geforce Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 More very unsurprising news - Well it is surprising that it took them so long to decide to do this(Source) Yeah i agree. The word is that Canon needs Toshiba because Toshiba has a panel manufacturing plant in Japan. Maybe Toshiba should go it alone? Toshiba needs something like SED because according to what i have read, they're getting out of the Plasma business and focussing on their Regza LCD TV's but there are dozens of companies putting out LCD TV's. Samsung is very interested in SED and i hope they get it and make it affordable for the average Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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