PC World — Last week, Eye-Fi CEO Yuval Koren posted a statement on his company's blog claiming that the SD Association, a standardization body responsible for reviewing and approving storage-card specifications, did not follow its own processes in announcing the new iSDIO spec for Wi-Fi-enabled SD Cards.

The in-card technology that the iSDIO spec describes is similar to Eye-Fi's own wireless-card functionality, and Koren says that his company was not offered the opportunity to produce intellectual-property claims before the specification was announced, in conflict with the SDA's own guidelines and procedures.

Following last week's initial article on the Eye-Fi-versus-SDA flap, Koren provided the following answers via email regarding his company's points of contention with the SDA's announcement of the iSDIO specification.

PCWorld: Would the proposed iSDIO specification essentially replicate the wireless-sharing technology found in Eye-Fi cards?

Yuval Koren: In our analysis, significant parts of the iSDIO specification overlap with essential Eye-Fi IP [intellectual property]. We have responded to the SDA with these comments, as we mentioned in our blog post.

PCW: One company, Trek 2000, is already billing its wireless SD Card as iSDIO-compliant. Have there been any direct conversations with Trek 2000 about licensing the technology?

Koren: There have been no direct conversations with Trek 2000 about licensing Eye-Fi's technology.

PCW: Has Eye-Fi received any formal request from the SDA to license the technology found in its own wireless cards?

Koren: Eye-Fi licenses its technology to ten leading camera manufacturers, and to SanDisk. There was no formal request from the SDA for licensing Eye-Fi's technology into iSDIO.

PCW: Is Eye-Fi part of the SDA Executive Members board, which will vote on adopting the spec? If not, do you fear that the spec will be voted on without the SDA's standard process taking place?

Koren: Eye-Fi is not an Executive Member of the SDA, so it will not vote on adopting the specification. We are very concerned about the SDA's disregard for its own process.

PCW: How long has Eye-Fi known about the SDA's efforts to standardize iSDIO? At what point, if any, was Eye-Fi contacted about using its patented technology as part of the spec?

Koren: Eye-Fi, along with all other SDA members, received notification on November 28, setting the review window of 60 days to expire on January 27. The SDA announced the new specification on January 9. Eye-Fi did not receive any formal request from the SDA about its technology.

PCW: Do you see this as a case of bullying? I'm unfamiliar with the inner workings of the SDA and its members--would the spec be pushed along by an intermediary body within the SDA, or could a group of SDA member companies be lobbying for its adoption in order to gain competitive advantage?

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