Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry posted record annual profits last year, a sign that production of Apple products remains strong despite heightened competition from rival electronics vendors. …read more
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Foxconn still in talks for Sharp stake, despite Samsung deal
Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group said it was still negotiating a deal for greater cooperation with Sharp, despite the Japanese display maker securing a $110 million investment to supply LCD panels to rival Samsung Electronics.
Sharp’s agreement with Samsung was no surprise to Foxconn, which had received prior notification of it, said the company’s parent Hon Hai Precision Industry in a statement on Wednesday. “We thank Sharp for treating our bilateral relations with respect,” it added.
The company declined to comment on the Samsung deal itself, but said talks to deepen relations between Foxconn and Sharp continue. It added that a deal made last year for Foxconn and Sharp to operate a factory together in Japan is producing “fruitful results.”
The Taiwanese manufacturing giant, best known as the assembler of Apple’s iPhone, was expected to secure a 10 percent stake in Sharp last year for $800 million. But so far, the two companies have failed to reach an agreement after Sharp saw its stock price plummet as a result of its ongoing financial woes.
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IBM dominates 2012 patent count with Google, Apple surging
Its official: IBM has dominated the U.S. patent race for two decades.
IBM earned 6,478 utility patents last year, topping the list of patent winners for the 20th year in a row, according to data from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. With its record haul, Big Blue bested its 2011 patent tally by 5 percent.
Samsung was the second-most prolific patent winner, with 5,081 patents received in 2012, according to IFI, which tracks and analyzes patent data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Canon placed third with 3,174 patents, followed by Sony (3,032), Panasonic (2,769), Microsoft (2,613), Toshiba (2,447), Hon Hai Precision Industry (2,013), GE (1,652), and LG Electronics (1,624).
Overall, the USPTO issued a record 253,155 utility patents in 2012, an increase of 13 percent compared to 2011. Seventeen U.S.-based firms made the top 50 list in 2012, the same number as in 2011. The number of Asian firms also held steady at 26, IFI reports.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld