Todd Peterson <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> wrote:

> I am looking at doing a project using Philips I2C Bus and, through
> a series of phone calls, happened to end up talking with the
> Philips in-house patent attorney about it.  He told me some news
> that disturbed me:  he said, and I paraphrase fairly close to the
> original - ' I won't say thay Microchip is breaking the law using
> I2C YET, but they do not have a valid license.' .... I, of course,
> contacted MCHIP and they told me they DID have a license.
> ....
> Anyone know for sure why I was told by Philips that Microchip was on
> their bad list?

Todd:

No, don't get your hopes up... I don't know what's going on, either.

Here's everything I DO know about Microchip, Philips, and the I2C
license.  I've divided it into "good" and "bad" categories, but
beyond that, it's completely disoganized... I'm too tired to try to
put these points into any meaningful order:

BAD:

    1.  When Microchip first started making I2C EEPROMs, the term
    "I2C" was conspicuously absent from all of their documentation,
    as was any acknowledgement that the protocol was owned by
    Philips.

    2.  I don't know how the I2C licenses are written; if they
    differentiate between "dumb" devices like EEPROMs and "smart"
    devices like microcontrollers, Microchip may have stepped on
    their toes by incorporating I2C (even though it's only Slave
    Mode) into the PICs.

    3.  Microchip's microcontrollers don't implement Master Mode in
    hardware, but Microchip advertises them as containing a
    Synchronous Serial Port "with I2C".  Maybe Philips doesn't like
    that.

    4.  Microchip has traditionally taken a too-casual approach to
    trademarks; the "Pro Master" programmer had to be renamed "Pro
    Mate" when it was discovered that the name was already taken,
    and even the word "PIC" can't be used in any of Microchip's
    development tools, since it's trademarked by a European company.
     Maybe they used the I2C trademark inappropriately, too... I
    don't know.

GOOD:

    1.  In general, Philips seems willing to license the I2C
    protocol to just about ANYONE... As you mentioned, there are AT
    LEAST 15-20 licensees.

    2.  Microchip Technology is a member of the ACCESS.bus Industry
    Group, and ACCESS.bus uses the I2C protocol.  By supporting
    AbIG, Microchip is supporting Philips.

    3.  All the current literature acknowledges that I2C is a
    Philips trademark, and the Microchip databooks even reference
    the Philips "I2C and how to use it" spec.

    4.  Microchip is now #2 worldwide in serial-EEPROM sales
    (behind -- WAY behind, by the way -- SGS-Thomson).

Ok... That's it.  Sorry I didn't have any specific information for
you.

-Andy

=== Andrew Warren - fastfwd@ix.netcom.com                 ===
=== Fast Forward Engineering - Vista, California          ===
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