http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yho...o&guid={6C47FCE1-02CD-4D84-B39A-00ADDA04CA55}
<quote>
In its suit, Broadcom claims that Qualcomm's cell-phone customers "fear
retribution from Qualcomm if they use any significant quantity of
chipsets" from a competitor.
In some ways, the suit mirrors claims Advanced Micro Devices made last
week in its antitrust suit against Intel. AMD alleges Intel is abusing
its market power to coerce computer makers and vendors into shunning
AMD's products.
</quote>
If I'm seeing things, I'm not the only one seeing them.
Myopia seems to be a commn complaint.
Whatever profound difference you are trying to emphasize, I'm not
getting it. So what if the details and leverage are slightly different
and involve IP. In the end, Qualcomm is trying to control who buys
what by using market power. And, whoever wins in the courtroom, the
lawyers will win at the bank.
For the Rambus vs. Qualcomm issue, its a question of who is following whom
here. They've both been in the vanguard of IP ambushes, dry-gulches and
hold-ups - they both use the same tricks and at times they seem to
alternate as to who pulled them first. One of Qualcomm's tactics is double
charging: they charge the chip maker for the IP and then want to charge the
PCB assembler or cell phone mfr for the same IP err, "usage".
At the same time, they are having the chips foundried in their own name and
selling them to assemblers, undercutting their IP licensees - there's no
doubt it is their intent to monopolize the entire 3G market and impose a
CDMA tax on every single cell phone in the world... this despite having
participated in "standards" committees where "amicable", mutually
beneficial arrangements, have been thrashed out... which included *some* of
their IP but not all of it and not only theirs.
One fly in their ointment: they already lost their case against TI.
Possibly Broadcom has been emboldened by that. At any rate the resemblance
to AMD Intel is a umm, *BIG* stretch. CDMA was apparently a brilliant
"idea"... that's all - allowing scumbag lawyers to live off it by endorsing
the hi-jacking of an industry would be wrong. At that point the comparison
to AMD/Intel descends to the level of your inflammatory AMD/SCO suggestion.
I'd prefer not to be seen as an adamant Intel defender, but, if that's
the way you see me, then that's the way you see me.
Just sell the Itanium system Robert, before it's just another
space-taker.