Way back when
posted on
Apr 03, 2013 08:43AM
Back when Jim Collier was president of eDigital, I remember having a conversation with him regarding Apple. He mentioned he talked with them on an almost daily basis. This was a pre-ipod time frame and we had already prduced the treo and the music player that was voice activated and used an IBM microdrive. (can't remember it's name) We were developing Indy downloadable music.
At the time I speculated that these conversations with Apple had to do with developing a platform for their music player. I believe it was Portal player that scored that coup, and then Samsung. Perhaps that was the basis of those conversations Collier had way back when but they just didn't yeild a result for us. I remember this as I always felt Collier had compromised us, our patents, and our business plan. Apple embedded the flash memory in their devices rather than construct them with removable flash, in my opinion to skirt our patents. What makes me even more mad is the duplication of our business plan. We developed the downloadable independent music. (Indy music) They developed Itunes. It never seemed reasonable that they could utilize the meat of our patents and alude infringement by embedding the flash. At the time our patents were written, the only flash that existed was removable flash. It seems like the functionality of flash is the same whether it's embedded or removable. It has to be on the basis of functionality of our patents that we are able to litigate this infringement.
I would like nothing better than to collect our due from Apple as they epitomize the infringer extrordoinaire. My guess is that we are embedded in most if not all of their music players, phones, and pads. I hope we are demanding a settlement in the 100's of millions if not more!
I don't know if anyone from way back when has a similar recollection. I do remember that shareholders meeting where Collier sat in the back of the room and never spoke. I believe that was his last day as president, and Fred was appointed in his place. So the terms of his departure were of the type where bridges were left in ashes and a month later Keefer Sutherland was seen holding a Treo in hand on the cover of Parade magazine. 2002 was the year I believe, and the share price was around .25 / share. Maybe we can revisit that in the not too distant future, and significantly more beyond.
Larry