April 26, 2007

This year's attempt at pushing patent reform was introduced to Congress recently by a pair of Democrats, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and Representative Howard Berman (D-California), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Courts/Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. The legislation, The Patent Reform Act of 2007, is actually an updated version of a similar bill introduced in 2006. To put it simply, large technology companies want changes to the patent laws. But some of the smaller companies fear that these changes may leave them exposed.

Some of the largest United States companies would like to see sweeping changes to the patent laws, especially in those cases where such laws have hindered profitability because of patents held by much smaller firms. Of course, changes that favor the larger companies that can afford the additional legal expenses for filing and protecting patent rights will do little for the smaller, more creative firms that often rely on one or two key innovations as the basis for their business.

At least one group, the Innovation Alliance (www.innovationalliance.net), wishes to use The Patent Reform Act of 2007 to improve the quality of granted patents in this country, rather than make it easier for larger companies to take away innovations from smaller firms. Especially those working in technology should not have to be reminded that the backbone of technology in this country is the small and creative firms not afraid to gamble on new ideas.

Sonnet Software, known for their high-frequency electromagnetic (EM) modeling and simulation software, has announced the latest SONNET(R) Suites Professional(TM) Release 11. The new software release includes a 64-b EM solver capable of performing full-wave EM analysis with no limitation on a computer's physical memory capacity. The solver performance is boosted by 40 percent for microprocessors from Intel and AMD. The release also introduces the Sonnet Cluster capability, which provides easy setup of distributed computing systems for high-speed processing of complex problems. This latest software release features Co-calibrated(TM) Ports using a new de-embedding technology that enables perfect calibration of internal port groups for a modeled circuit or network. The software release allows users to tightly interface with their EDA platform of choice, including Agilent ADS, Applied Wave Research's Microwave Office(R), or Cadence(R) Virtuoso(R). Sonnet Software (www.sonnetsoftware.com)

Tyco Supports DoD's RFID Mandate
Anritsu Launches Economy Analyzers To 20 GHz
Dr. Avi Katz Joins iTerra As CEO
Remtec Develops Etchable Materials Capability

SiGe Semiconductor announced the appointment of Sohail Khan as president and chief executive officer (CEO). Khan comes to SiGe Semiconductor from Bessemer Venture Partners, where he served as an entrepreneur in residence and operating partner, responsible for evaluating communications deals and providing assistance to portfolio companies. Previously, he helped to execute Agere's IPO spin-out, and held the positions of executive vice president of Infrastructure Systems and chief strategy and development officer. Khan served also as president of Lucent's Integrated Circuits - Microelectronics division, where he grew the company's market position in cellular handsets and base stations. According to Khan, "I am pleased to join the management team at SiGe Semiconductor. The company presents an exciting professional opportunity as one of the few private wireless semiconductor companies to successfully compete against much larger rivals in the consumer electronic marketplace." SiGe Semiconductor (www.sige.com)

IEEE Sarnoff Symposium 2007
April 30-May 2, 2007
Sarnoff Labs
Princeton, NJ
www.sarnoffsymposium.org

2007 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium
June 3-8, 2007
Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, HI
www.ims2007.org/