Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
June 17, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM U.S./ET (GMT-4)
Larry Bonfante, CIO of the U.S. Tennis Association, will discuss the skills and approaches that your rising IT leaders must learn to be effective in an executive capacity.
How to Handle Your New CEO: Managing Turnover at the Top
June 18, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
Turbulent times have increased turnover at the top. Find out what Council CIOs have done to "break in" new CEOs—build relationships, set expectations, educate on the role of IT.
Mid-Market CIO Panel: Tips and Techniques for Improving Vendor Relationships
July 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
We'll highlight relationship priorities and best practices identified in a Council study, and we'll interact with a CIO panel on the approaches they've used to improve strategic vendor partnerships.
Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Assess Your Business Leadership Skills with the Council's new benchmarking tool. Rate yourself in change leadership, strategy, customer focus and more.
Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »
Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!
SanDisk MP3 Players a No-Show at IFA
Music lovers hoping to see the latest MP3 music players from SanDisk at the IFA consumer electronics show in Germany ...
September 05, 2006 — CIO —
Music lovers hoping to see the latest MP3 music players from SanDisk at the IFA consumer electronics show in Germany will have to find an alternative venue outside the country. SanDisk was forced to remove the MP3 music players after an Italian patents company won a legal ruling in a local court.
Societa Italiana per lo Sviluppo dell’Elettronica SpA (Sisvel), a patent management company in Turin, had filed a lawsuit against SanDisk in district court of The Hague, Netherlands, early last year, alleging that some of SanDisk’s MP3 players infringe on three European patents licensed to the Italian company.
Last week, Sisvel filed a complaint with the German public prosecutor in the Mannheim District Court, pointing to the pending litigation against SanDisk. The prosecutor issued an injunction that required the Sunnyvale, Calif., manufacturer to remove all its MP3 players from its stand.
"As anyone at the show can see, the players have been removed," a Sandisk spokesman said Tuesday.
SanDisk is saying little during the pending litigation, except that its MP3 players use a data transmission and reception technology that is not covered by the disputed patents.
"An expert opinion from one of the founders of MP3 digital audio compression substantiates SanDisk’s position," the company said in a statement, without naming the person. "SanDisk is not infringing any patent in the pending litigation," it said.
Sisvel has licensed the patents in question with the right to bring suit over them. In March this year, SanDisk filed a suit in the English High Court against the owners of the patents, which include Koninklijke Philips Electronics and France Telecom, seeking to have them invalidated, according to a SanDisk regulatory filing.
Sisvel could not immediately be reached for comment.
SanDisk has been releasing a stream of new MP3 players, including its 8GB Sansa e280, and had hoped to show the products to consumers and retailers at the Berlin show.
-John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)
Related Link:
Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage.
Investing in Business Analytics Technology
Don't Sacrifice Speed
Virtualization: Unparalleled Agility
Effective Service Management Eases the Virtualization Transition
Meet Rising Demands on IT and Cut Costs
How Can Your Organization Weather This Economic Storm?
IT Consolidation Made Easy
Webcast with Dan Vesset: Investing in Business Analytics Technology
Capitalize on Your SAP Content
Enterprise Cloud Computing: Ready for Primetime?
BSM in the Field, Practical Insights from Peter Armaly
BMC Service Assurance Demo
Resource Alerts
Get instant email notifications by topic when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library.
Outremer Telecom's Mauritius Plans on Hold
MoBank App Takes Shopping to the IPhone in the UK
Web Site for China Mobile's Application Store Appears
Wall Street Beat: After a Strong Q2, What's Next for Tech?
Satyam Buyer Does Not Get Enough Shares in Public Offer
Google Updates Some Apps Functions
Judge Temporarily Dismisses MySpace Cyberbully Case
Judge Temporarily Dismisses MySpace Cyberbully Case
Cisco Looks to Accelerate Virtualization Deployments
Vista Ultimate Users Fume, Rant Over Windows 7 Deals
