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News

WASHINGTON – Congress this week introduced into legislation The Patent Reform Act of 2007, a bill aimed at helping the filing process and to ease the financial burden to companies that infringe on existing patents.

The Senate bill is cosponsored by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), while the House version is cosponsored by Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lamar Smith (R-TX).

The reform includes provisions to “balance” awards for damages, limiting them to only economic value of the improvement; establish fair standards for punitive damages; restrict forum shopping, and improve patent quality. In addition, the bill would create a “first-to-file” system (the American system is the only one in the world that still grants patents to the first inventor rather than the first to file an application); according to patentlyo.com, the bill makes it easier to file a patent application without the inventor's cooperation. Leahy says the bill creates a more streamlined and effective way of challenging the validity and enforceability of patents. He also claims, “American IP industries account for over half of all U.S. exports, represent 40 percent of our economic growth and employ 18 million Americans,” which makes strengthening intellectual property that much more important to economic growth.

To view the document, visit
http://www.thefireofgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/coe07702_xml.pdf.

SAN JOSE – SEMI this week revised its January and February semiconductor equipment book-to-bills. Corrected figures for February show the three-month average for bookings was $1.4 billion, with billings at $1.43 billion, and a ratio of 0.98.

Corrected figures for January show the three-month average for bookings was $1.45 billion, with billings at $1.45 billion, and a ratio of 1.0.

The trade group had earlier reported book-to-bills of 1.04 and 1.05 for January and February, respectively.

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers.

WASHINGTON -- An English translation of the final Korea RoHS legislation, adopted April 2, is available.

Information on differences between the draft bill and final bill (also in English) are available here.

The translations were made available by Eco-Frontier.

Separately, China’s Ministry of Commerce has promulgated Management Measures for Recycling Renewable Resources, which goes into effect May 1.

Links are here:
www.sepa.gov.cn/hjyw/200704/t20070409_102573.htm
www.sepa.gov.cn/law/gz/bmhb/200704/t20070409_102574.htm

SHANGHAI – Global mobile phone shipments were approximately 970 million units with a production value of about $79 billion in 2006. Nokia ranked first in sales volume, at 347.5 million units, according to the just-released China Mobile Phone Industry Chain Report, 2006-2007.

EL PASO, TX – Powell-Mucha Consulting, Inc. and SMTA have announced a series of online presentations on building a competitive EMS brand. The first, Understanding Competitive Advantage in EMS Services, is scheduled for April 25 from 1-2 pm EST. The presentation will cover classic models of competitive advantage and how they relate to EMS strategies; typical services offered within the industry; a methodology for analyzing your company’s strengths and weaknesses prior to marketing strategy development, and key considerations in developing a unique value proposition. For information and registration visit: http://smta.org/education/presentations/presentations.cfm#competitive. The cost is $75 for SMTA members and $150 for nonmembers. Mucha, a regular columnist for Circuits Assembly, is a former EMS executive. In 2001 she founded Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc., an EMS consultancy specializing in market positioning, strategic planning assistance and training.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The IPC Solder Products Value Council has released a white paper addressing current global supply and demand of tin and silver. The cost of tin and silver has reached 19-year highs, says the council, and global demand for tin will exceed production by 30,700 metric tons, according to The International Tin Research Institute. The primary reason behind this shortage is a 30% reduction in tin exports from Indonesia, according to the white paper. In the past six months, the price of tin has increased more than 40%, and lead-free solder paste contains more than 85% tin. Over a 15-month period, the cost increase of tin and silver combined in solder paste is $6.58 ($12.28 -$5.70) for tin, and $4.53 ($12.22-$7.69) for silver, a total of $11.11 in higher costs per kg of solder paste, reports the council. This represents a cost increase equivalent to between 20 to 30% of the global average sales price for solder paste sold for electronics assembly. The council recommends electronics assemblers closely communicate with soldering material suppliers regarding supply and availability during this period of volatility in the market price of metals.

HELSINKI – Elcoteq cut its forecasts for 2007 because of intensifying competition in Europe, warning it would make no money from operations this year. The EMS firm, one of the eight largest in the world, reported a first-quarter operating loss of 23 million euros ($31 million). In a statement, the company said it would report breakeven operating results in 2007, not including one-time charges, on a slight uptick in revenues. It had previously guided for sales growth of around 10% and increased profits. Elcoteq said it would take a first-quarter writedown of 30 million euros in one-time charges as part of a cost-reduction program. It also upped restructuring costs guidance to 35 million euros, from an earlier estimate of 20 million euros.

SAN JOSE – Stanford professor of engineering Roger Howe will keynote the 5th Annual MEMS Packaging symposium, the MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council announced. On May 16, Howe will discuss recent developments in the field. Howe, who has decades of experience with MEMS, also chaired the MEMS Technical Committee of IEEE Electron Devices Society from 1998 – 2001. The conference takes place May 16-17 in San Jose. Other presentations include MEMS-based market evolution; emerging trends; packaging technologies, and consumer and industrial applications. Graduate students, professors and university researchers will also present their latest work on MEMS packaging and related topics. To register or learn more about the symposium, contact Bette Cooper, bcooper@meptec.org or visit www.meptec.org.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC is accepting comments on IPC-9592, Performance Parameters for Power Conversion Devices. The document standardizes the performance parameters for power conversion devices, including the computer and telecommunications industries. The specification also sets the requirements for design, qualification and conformance testing, manufacturing quality processes, and regulatory requirements. Comments are due June 2. A copy of the document and the comment form are available at ipc.org/PCSMeeting. The nearly 100-page proposal was developed by the IPC Power Conversion Subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Scott Strand of IBM. The next committee meeting will take place June 26-27 in Schaumburg, IL.

BRADENTON, FL – Connector analyst Ron Bishop will keynote the IICIT Connector & Interconnection Technology Symposium in May. The keynote will be about The World Connector Industry with special focus on the outlook for 2007 and 2011. Bishop is president of Bishop & Associates Inc., a consulting firm, and a noted expert on the connector industry. The conference takes place May 8-9, in Dedham, MA. For more information and registration, visit http://www.iicit.org.

SAN FRANCISCO – On April 2, Korea's National Assembly passed legislation similar to a series of European Union regulations, including the RoHS, WEEE and ELV (End of Life Vehicles) directives. The regulation goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.

But while the Act Concerning the Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electronic Products and Automobiles has elements of the EU directives, it is also unique, according to Michael Kirschner of Design Chain Associates. Like EU’s RoHS Directive and China’s legislation, he says, the regulation omits a detailed scope (certain classes of automobiles and electronics initially equivalent to that of Korea’s preexisting Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources), substance restrictions and concentration limits, design for environment requirements, and so on. Presidential Decrees and Ordinances from the Ministry of the Environment will define these concepts.

Items to be specified in the next step of legislation include precise definitions and lists of “Electrical and Electronic Equipment”; “Automobile,” and “Hazardous Substances” and their threshold limits and a Mandatory Annual Recycling Objective for Automobiles, along with evaluation methods. Test Methods of Hazardous Substances will be published. And an individual or collective scheme for recycling will be set up, among other actions.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Growing video usage, Microsoft Vista, and aggressive pricing will all contribute to skyrocketing sales of wide-format LCD desktop computer monitors during the next five years, making this the dominant format by 2009, iSuppli predicts. Worldwide sales of wide-format LCD monitors are set to grow to 146.9 million units by 2011, rising at a CAGR of 74.3% from only 9.1 million units in 2006, according to the firm. In 2007, end-user sales will nearly quadruple to 35.8 million units. Revenue will grow to $20.9 billion by 2011, rising at a 55% CAGR from $2.3 billion in 2006. In 2007, revenue will triple to $6.7 billion. By 2009, wide-format LCD monitors will account for the largest share of the LCD monitor market, surpassing traditional-format displays, iSuppli predicts. The biggest battleground in 2007 is expected to be in the 19", 20" and 22" wide markets. The 20" wide panels offer a higher resolution than the 19" wide-format LCD panels, and are generally considered to be a better fit for Microsoft’s Windows Vista, but price has trumped performance. Twenty-inch panel suppliers have responded with more aggressive price moves. With the winner of this battle poised to become the market leader in the LCD monitor market, the stakes are considerable. Adoption rates for wide-format monitors are expected to be higher for consumers than for corporations.