I heard something about some major FPGA patents due to expire soon. I think these are owned by Xilinx and/or Altera.
I would be interested if anybody can clarify what exactly these patents are, and if anyone has an opinion on if their expiry could potentially enable market entry by new entrants to the FPGA arena or new product families by the exisiting FPGA vendors.
Regards, Paul.
The earliest Xilinx patent is 4,870,302 Feb 19 1988. So it expires next year
Steve
Of course, there are more patents that Xilinx has filed since then.
By the way, others have entered the FPGA business (an left it -- unsuccessfully) and did not infringe on any patents, so it can be done.
Why did they not succeed? Did it have to do with patents?
Nope.
Aust> The earliest Xilinx patent is 4,870,302 Feb 19 1988. So it expires next year
Nope indeed. Why waste more money on lawyers' fees when the others can self-destruct? But I'll bet you are your buddies at Altera would have used your patent portfolio at the whiff of any serious threat!
Is this the famous Freeman patent?
next year
Likely, although one company A. might refer to it as 'infamous' :) :)
US4870302:
"Configurable electrical circuit having configurable logic elements and configurable interconnects"
Inventor: Ross H. Freeman, San Jose, Calif.
Assignee: Xilinx, Inc., San Jose, Calif.
If anybody wants to look upany issued patents, just go to
Peter Alfke, Xil>
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