Rockwell and US Robotics make rival—and incompatible—ultrafast
modems, which can receive data at 56 kilobits per second. Brent Townshend, of
Stanford University, claims it was his research which broke the 35 kbps speed
barrier. In December 1994 he filed a US patent application and offered the idea
to Rockwell in confidence, but eventually licensed it to 3Com, the owner of US
Robotics. Townshend is now suing Rockwell, alleging breach of contract. Rockwell
says its modems do not use Townshend’s technology. “A law suit can only further
confuse the marketplace,” says Vijay Parikh, of Rockwell’s personal computing
division.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Mathematics
OpenAI announces solutions to 10 longstanding maths problems
News
Technology
Will a new kind of AI that understands physical reality change the world again?
Features
Environment
Why sitting under a parasol is barely cooler than being in the sun
News
ҹ1000
Are beef-liver or standard iron supplements better for boosting iron?
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles