Does Atmel licensed AVR to others?

Hm. Try it out. Maybe it's better than I think (not used it). I see no other choice left out?? If you pay it I'm willing to implement it for you. I have a lot of experience doing FPGA implementation for exotic things like an old IBM "rocket" bus (The bus before SCSI standardization) linking it to the PLX IOP480 PowerPC, and others. If interested contact me on private email... Regards - Henry

rickman schrieb in Nachricht ...

for

and

manufacturers?

source,

market

Atmel has licensed the AVR to other companies, but they are using it for internal purposes only.

prog

Fun for the homebrewers, but violates some patents according to the AVR design centre ... (Do not know which particular patents though)

AT94 FPSLIC = 25 MHz... No analog stuff though...

AT94 FPSLIC = 25 MHz... No analog stuff though... And it AIN'T $50, much much less.

Are you saying that Atmel have a patent on any device that executes the AVR instruction set, or some similar Intellectual Property protection on AVR? I recall Zilog making the Z80 (a quarter century ago! I'm getting old), which executes the Intel 8080 instruction set (as well as newer, 'enhanced' instructions). As I remember the story, Intel had copyright on their 8080 mnemonics, so Zilog used different mnemonics for the same instructions. I don't recall that Intel took any legal action against a competitor making an 8080-compatible processor, but I expect that more recently manufacturers would consider their instruction sets and processor operations to be their own intellectual property, and protect them accordingly. This is an interesting and important question in general: Does anyone know of the legal status of various processor designs? I recall hearing of the 68000 and similar processors being implemented in FPGA's - would it infringe on some Motorola intellectual property to sell a product using such FPGA's?

Jim Granville wrote: : Ben Bradley wrote: :> :> In comp.arch.embedded, "Ulf Samuelsson" wrote: :> >Fun for the homebrewers, but violates some patents according to the AVR :> >design centre ... :> >(Do not know which particular patents though) :> :> Are you saying that Atmel have a patent on any device that executes :> the AVR instruction set, or some similar Intellectual Property :> protection on AVR?

They probabely have. In the US at least...

:> I recall Zilog making the Z80 (a quarter century ago! I'm getting :> old), which executes the Intel 8080 instruction set (as well as newer, :> 'enhanced' instructions). As I remember the story, Intel had copyright :> on their 8080 mnemonics, so Zilog used different mnemonics for the :> same instructions.

Biiig difference. A quarter of a century ago copyright coverage was still bounded and there was this provisions for 'fair use.' Interestingly, this opened up the market for both large and - more importantely - small competitors. This will not do, and hence the large multinational cooperations have successfully managed to 'tune' copyright laws into a strangulation of competition. It is always the same people[politicans] that talks the warmest of free market forces that are the first to limit them in favor of the establishment.

:> I don't recall that Intel took any legal action against a :> competitor making an 8080-compatible processor, but I expect that more :> recently manufacturers would consider their instruction sets and :> processor operations to be their own intellectual property, and :> protect them accordingly.

They did not. What they OTOH did was to lobby the senate into placing high import duties as a 'counter dumping measure' agains japaneese industry. This proved highly successful. Without it, there would be no Intel or Motorola today. Remember the NEC V20? : It's std 'turf protection', but first they have to know you are : using 'their IP' in your soft core, plus they also have to be worried : enough to harness the lawyers.

This will not do in Europe (yet.) In the US, the POT will gladly issue patents on plain instruction sets. Even local buses - remeber when we still had interchangeable socket-7 motherboards? This is recent history. And it is growing worse, fast... : Patents have a finite life, region of 18-20 yrs. : So the 80C51 is now 'fully open', which is one reason it is a popular : soft-core.

To qoute a reference I can no longer recall the origin of, but anyway: "Every time Mickey Mouse is in peril, copyright protection is extended."

Interesting to see how a simple question can avalanche to a big thread...

- Henry

Henry schrieb in Nachricht ...