A search for web pages turned up Micon Electronics ltd. in Taiwan, but they
only make a half dozen toys.  Could this pipsqueak be Microchip's
competition??!!??!?!!!!!??

http://www.micon.com.tw



-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence Lile <lilel@TOASTMASTER.COM>
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Monday, July 19, 1999 8:22 AM
Subject: Illegal???? Micon Knockoff of PICs -


>Dearest Picsters:
>
>
>We recently sent a PIC design to a Korean manufacturer to build.  They came
>back with a vastly changed design, including the processor.  Here's what
>they say:
>
>
>>. The CPU is changed from Microchip's PIC16CXX series to Micon's
>MDT1020/2020
>> series. The new IC is from a Taiwan IC company and
>> is 100% PIC-compatible.
>
>"100% comaptible" although the chip we sent over has no onboard brownout
>protection, although the Micon chip does.   Phooey.
>
>My Microchip Rep said, a while back, that these knockoffs "May not be legal
>in the US because of patent violations."  Of course, he would LIKE them to
>be illegal so he has less competition.  Is he right?
>
>My question is - is it legal to import the Micon MDT1020 in the US?
>
>My second question - should I hang my Korean supplier by his TOES or his
>NECK?