Seagate to SSD makers- if you get popular we’ll sue
Solid state disks (SSDs) have the opportunity to revolutionize computing technology, especially mobile tech. The lack of moving parts and the speed of data transfer can make any device a speed demon. Throw in the elimination of heat that conventional moving hard disks generate and SSDs present a win-win proposition. The only reason that SSDs haven’t already had a mass adoption is the high price compared to spinning hard drives but we’ve been saying for some time that as higher numbers are reached that will change and in fact we’ve already seen SSDs drop in price, although not nearly low enough.
This week word has been leaking out that hard drive maker Seagate is threatening to sue SSD makers should sales numbers increase to the point that SSD sales start impacting Seagate’s hard drive sales. Seagate, along with rival Western Digital, have many patents that were awarded to cover hard drive technology and according to Seagate they can be applied to SSDs too. They’ve indicated that should sales of SSDs become bothersome for them then they will sue to exercise their rights under the patents they hold. In other words, you build a better solution that is totally different than ours and we’ll go after you if we feel threatened.
A friend of mine works for Western Digital and I’ve had numerous conversations with him regarding how I think they should be nervous about SSDs because they are such a better solution for consumers. His response has always implied that Western Digital is not concerned about them because they have a plan. I am now wondering if that plan is similar to Seagate’s and they simply intend to sue SSDs out of existence should the need arise. I hope not, shutting down this great technology would be a tremendous blow to us as consumers.
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I agree, if Seagate/WD try to protect their market by suing SSD makers a lot of people will instantly stop buying their products.
SSD makers owe Seagate/WD any valid royalty payments for technology they are using, but it can only be as high as thay paid by other hard drive manufacturers.
Actually stopping the use of Seagate/ SD products is not a viable option as they are used by almost all OEMs in products.
James, you’re probably right – the backlash couldn’t be too great or they wouldn’t be as likely to do it.
Also, most people wouldn’t know what a SSD was, they’re just concerned with price and capacity.
There needs to be some form of clause with a patant that if you don’t seek damages/royalties immediately, you forfit the possibility of collecting down the line. You can’t patent a whole host of things and wait for one to reach critical mass before pouncing on it…
HDD manufacturers that spend resources developing technology should have the right to royalties if another company makes use of their hard work. This I accept and believe is a fair policy. However, abusing this policy and using it to bully companies who want to progress our technology is just plain wrong. These HDD companies need to have a long hard think of the number of patented technology they have used in their products and how much they developed themselves. They also need to think about how much royalties they have paid out to the entities that created the technology. I can almost guarantee that they owe someone something but haven’t given them a penny for their efforts.
People who stand in the way of progress always end up suffering in the long run. Take P2P networking and the music industry. Instead of jumping on board and setting up their own sites with reduced prices and higher quality content (music tracks with cover art and guaranteed sample quality) the industry threw a tantrum and started suing consumers to try and bully the market to play by their rules. The rule is however that the masses always win eventually. When the music industry noticed that their tactics to bully the masses had failed and that their sales had dropped tremendously, they have been forced to embrace the market with cheaper prices, higher quality digital content and easily accessible music libraries much like the open source community were attempting to achieve years before them.
I dunno about you guys, but this asshole move just cost seagate my business until the end of time.
Was to a computer store for another 500gb hard drive today. WD 3 year warranty vs Seagate 5 year warranty. Guess which one I bought.