The U.S. International Trade Commission has closed a seven-month patent investigation of Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology Co. and several other big-name technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Canon and Newegg.
The commission found that the companies did not violate a provision in the Tariff Act related to patent infringement alleged by Cupertino-based Technology Properties Limited LLC, which licenses patents on behalf of companies and pushes litigation if a settlement isn’t reached, a method similar to the business model of Acacia Research Corp. in Newport Beach.
Kingston—the world’s largest memory products maker for computers and consumer electronics, with some $5 billion in annual revenue—is often entangled in patent disputes as it sources components from around the world and assembles its consumer storage products, such as flash cards and USBs, in its sprawling Taiwanese factories.
High Tech in Hollywood
A key unit of Western Digital Corp. is going Hollywood with the help of another OC technology company.
San Jose-based Hitachi Global Technologies Ltd., which was acquired in 2012 for $4.8 billion, has partnered with storage service provider Maxx Digital in Costa Mesa to outfit RED Studios Hollywood with rackmount media servers and Hitachi Global’s 4-terabyte enterprise-class hard drives, which store data on spinning disks.
Los Angeles-based RED Studios is a unit of RED Digital Cinema Camera Co. in Irvine, which was established in 2006 by billionaire entrepreneur and Oakley founder Jim Jannard.
RED makes digital still and motion cameras used in movies, TV shows and photo shoots.
The server and storage powered by Hitachi Global is needed to support capacity, bandwidth, and performance needs for streaming and next-generation 4K, 5K and 6K high-resolution files.
The Hitachi Global buy—Western Digital’s priciest in its 34-year history—added key corporate customers and an entree into the growing server and storage market, fueling the Irvine storage-products maker’s ascent as the world’s largest drive maker in revenue and unit sales.
Startup Turns to Kickstarter
An Irvine startup has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to bring its 3-D printer-making kit to market.
TJIKO Labs, which makes prototypes and product designs, has raised more than $7,000 from 35 backers since its campaign launched last month.
The company is seeking $25,000 for its Snap 3D printer, which aims to eliminate the complex assembly of 3-D printers that often includes soddering, electronics and fasteners.
“That will open the door to many users still afraid to build their own printer or who don’t want to deal with complex design,” the company said on its Kickstarter page.
The 3-D printer uses a modular design that can be customized for various printing functions, from parts production to light manufacturing.
The kit costs $699, and an assembled 3-D printer costs $849.
The development and adoption of 3D printers is one of the big technology stories to watch in 2014 as startups around the world enter the emerging segment.
Several Orange County startups, from video game makers to accessory suppliers, have used Kickstarter, a New York-based crowdfunding site, to bring products to market and to ramp up production.
