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SYDNEY: Australia's government research agency, the CSIRO, has defeated some of the world's biggest computing giants in a court course over the intellectual property rights for the technology behind wireless networks.
The exact figure has not been disclosed, but the organisation will receive millions of dollars in settlement from the 14 companies accused of violating the patent.
The list includes Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Nintendo, Belkin and Netgear.
Radio astronomy
The case involved CSIRO's patented wireless local area network (WLAN) technology. Their wireless standard, 802.11, is now used in most wireless devices, from computers and mobile phones to televisions and PlayStations.
CSIRO researchers studying radio astronomy began developing wireless technology through their work on radio telescope signals. Their telescopes, studying sources of energy in the universe, receive very faint radio waves. To interpret them, the waves must be converted into electronic signals that can be stored and processed.
In the early 1990s, they hit upon the idea of applying the technology to computer networks. "We saw a future for sending and receiving data between computer and printer networks without using wires," said CSIRO's commercial director Nigel Poole. The researchers were awarded a patent for their wireless system in 1996.
In 1998, a non-profit authority on technology, the IEEE (the U.S. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), adapted wireless standards based on CSIRO's patent. The first wireless cards started shipping in 2002 and 2003 – and many were based upon CSIRO's system.
Taxpayer's money
CSIRO attempted to negotiate licenses with the companies using their patented system, Poole said. When it became clear the companies wouldn't pay royalties, CSIRO took them to court in the USA.
The legal battle began in 2005. A U.S. judge finalised the settlement on Monday, but as part of the agreement, its terms remain confidential.
Megan Clark, the CSIRO chief executive, said in a statement that she welcomed the outcome of the litigation. "CSIRO will continue to defend intellectual property developed from research undertaken on behalf of the Australian taxpayer," she said.
