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Write You - The Uncreative Business Practice of Creative Labs
Many businesses focus heavily on getting as many sales as possible, generating recurring sales and generating new leads, and this is all good. Infact it is a truism that without selling things your business cannot operate, so to focus on them is important. But an often overlooked side of running a successful business is focussing on your overheads - in particular rent, communications, stationary(including mailing costs) and to a lesser extent marketing. I say marketing to a lesser extent because this cost is usually associated with the practices of increasing turnover that I described at the start of this article.It has long been my belief that if you neglect your overheads you will quickly lose touch with your busi
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual
Most students and their parents realize that education has become very expensive. Regardless of the kind of education students are opting for, whether it is at a private high school, a college, university, or an overseas school, tuition costs, when coupled with costs of books and housing, can become an almost impossible burden to shoulder.To pay for their education costs, many students or their families opt for education loans. Some students find it convenient to fund their educational costs via credit cards. However, when students are overwhelmed with the debts incurred, student credit card debt consolidation is an excellent option towards bringing down the monthly payments.Student credit card debt consolidatio
How can a company survive in this competitive world? Well, there is a way …
One can visit a supermarket; fill the shopping trolley with quality goods then pass by the check-out without paying. Using this method, and having on hand a friendly chef it is possible to destroy the business of any small local restaurant. This may seem drastic but it happens every day in the competitive field of consumer electronics.
It seems that Creative Labs, a company based in a tax haven country, Singapore, is using a non-creative method for gaining an unfair advantage over its competitors: copying other people’s patents.
One of the most popular home electronics appliances around these days is the MP3 player, for instance Apple sold 14 million iPod players in the fourth quarter alone of 2005. A huge leap from 4.5 million in the same period of 2004. MP3 players show up everywhere; school kid’s use them as do adults, some models are incorporated in cell phones, cameras and even sunglasses. Many of the higher priced products, such portable audio and video devices (PAVs) now come with small screens able to show MPEG videos as well as reproduce audio. Well, behind these massively popular products, there lies relative patent portfolios that cover these technologies.
Hundreds of producers of MP3 players and PAV devices have taken licenses for such technologies. They then follow their usual business channels in order to bring their products to the market. Many of these companies are renowned names, such as Apple Computer, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and hundreds of others. In today’s age of technology, what can the future be for a company that doesn’t respect intellectual property?
Creative Labs knows the answer to that question.
Creative has been accused of patent infringement by a series of patent holders, from among which Compression Labs, Lucent Technologies, MPEG LA, Dynacore Holdings and Advanced Audio Devices. Well, Creative may not be so creative in their business approach, but they are certainly very creative in their methodologies for avoiding royalty payments. In fact, in Creative’s 2005 Annual Report they even state that they have valid defences against any claims asserted against them. They then go on to say that even if any claimant should win their suit or claim against them they don’t expect there to be any adverse effects on its financial position or operations.
MPEG LA alone manages more than 100 essential patent families. Are we to assume that Creative considers them all invalid and if they are valid then no royalties will exchange hands?
Another example …
Bells Labs, the R&D division of Lucent Technologies, has generated more than 31,000 patents since 1925 and has played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting key communications technologies. Scientists from Lucent/Bell Labs have received six Nobel Prizes in Physics, nine U.S. National Medals of Science and eight U.S. National Medals of Technology.
From Creative’s Annual Report it seems clear that the MPEG LA and Lucent patent portfolios are worth little more than the paper they are printed on.
Doesn’t the supermarket metaphor used above spring to mind?
Perhaps Creative should reconsider their statements concerning the fact that no adverse effects will occur to its financial position or operations. What happens when criminal seizures of it’s products occur and the products are physically removed from the stores, or when a court injunction forbids them from selling their products?
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) 10 years back found it hard & highly costing to work Globally. But nowadays Internet has made things much easier, from Small shops to large enterprises are now doing online business internationally and available 24/7 for anyone in the world.E-commerce Websites are cost effective and its staff reducing, Where online strategies that can deliver much greater returns on a limited budget with affordable and efficient website solutions.While it is impossible to know how many people actually see print advertising, online advertisers can track precisely how many see each and every ad and how many website visits it generates, enabling businesses to attract the highest volume of
One of the most popular home electronics appliances around these days is the MP3 player, for instance Apple sold 14 million iPod players in the fourth quarter alone of 2005. A huge leap from 4.5 million in the same period of 2004. MP3 players show up everywhere; school kid’s use them as do adults, some models are incorporated in cell phones, cameras and even sunglasses. Many of the higher priced products, such portable audio and video devices (PAVs) now come with small screens able to show MPEG videos as well as reproduce audio. Well, behind these massively popular products, there lies relative patent portfolios that cover these technologies.
Hundreds of producers of MP3 players and PAV devices have taken licenses for such technologies. They then follow their usual business channels in order to bring their products to the market. Many of these companies are renowned names, such as Apple Computer, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and hundreds of others. In today’s age of technology, what can the future be for a company that doesn’t respect intellectual property?
Creative Labs knows the answer to that question.
Creative has been accused of patent infringement by a series of patent holders, from among which Compression Labs, Lucent Technologies, MPEG LA, Dynacore Holdings and Advanced Audio Devices. Well, Creative may not be so creative in their business approach, but they are certainly very creative in their methodologies for avoiding royalty payments. In fact, in Creative’s 2005 Annual Report they even state that they have valid defences against any claims asserted against them. They then go on to say that even if any claimant should win their suit or claim against them they don’t expect there to be any adverse effects on its financial position or operations.
MPEG LA alone manages more than 100 essential patent families. Are we to assume that Creative considers them all invalid and if they are valid then no royalties will exchange hands?
Another example …
Bells Labs, the R&D division of Lucent Technologies, has generated more than 31,000 patents since 1925 and has played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting key communications technologies. Scientists from Lucent/Bell Labs have received six Nobel Prizes in Physics, nine U.S. National Medals of Science and eight U.S. National Medals of Technology.
From Creative’s Annual Report it seems clear that the MPEG LA and Lucent patent portfolios are worth little more than the paper they are printed on.
Doesn’t the supermarket metaphor used above spring to mind?
Perhaps Creative should reconsider their statements concerning the fact that no adverse effects will occur to its financial position or operations. What happens when criminal seizures of it’s products occur and the products are physically removed from the stores, or when a court injunction forbids them from selling their products?
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual
E-zines have been available on the Internet for quite sometime. They can take the form of scientific journals or newsletters, which organizations hand out to their supporters or subscribers, sometimes free of charge.The most common e-zines, however, contain articles written on a wide variety of topics tailored to fit the information needs of a general audience. Some articles will contain a resource box, where a few lines of text will tell readers who the author is, what his or her research interests are, and where he or she can be contacted.Such articles and their attached resource boxes can be referred to as article marketing, and such an advertising strategy is beloved by search engines. The changing content o
Creative Labs knows the answer to that question.
Creative has been accused of patent infringement by a series of patent holders, from among which Compression Labs, Lucent Technologies, MPEG LA, Dynacore Holdings and Advanced Audio Devices. Well, Creative may not be so creative in their business approach, but they are certainly very creative in their methodologies for avoiding royalty payments. In fact, in Creative’s 2005 Annual Report they even state that they have valid defences against any claims asserted against them. They then go on to say that even if any claimant should win their suit or claim against them they don’t expect there to be any adverse effects on its financial position or operations.
MPEG LA alone manages more than 100 essential patent families. Are we to assume that Creative considers them all invalid and if they are valid then no royalties will exchange hands?
Another example …
Bells Labs, the R&D division of Lucent Technologies, has generated more than 31,000 patents since 1925 and has played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting key communications technologies. Scientists from Lucent/Bell Labs have received six Nobel Prizes in Physics, nine U.S. National Medals of Science and eight U.S. National Medals of Technology.
From Creative’s Annual Report it seems clear that the MPEG LA and Lucent patent portfolios are worth little more than the paper they are printed on.
Doesn’t the supermarket metaphor used above spring to mind?
Perhaps Creative should reconsider their statements concerning the fact that no adverse effects will occur to its financial position or operations. What happens when criminal seizures of it’s products occur and the products are physically removed from the stores, or when a court injunction forbids them from selling their products?
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual
No matter where you go and what you do, you will need a means to pay for it. More often than not, you will be using some form of credit card. Credit cards are accepted by almost every vendor across the world.Each has different rates, requirements, restrictions, rules, and yes, perks too. The following are six easy steps to find the right credit card for you: 1.) Understand your credit - You must have a thorough understanding of how credit works before applying for credit cards in the first place. First, understand that the issuance of credit is a loan that must be paid back. Second, understand that you should pay your credit card bill on time monthly to avoid adverse information being placed on y
Another example …
Bells Labs, the R&D division of Lucent Technologies, has generated more than 31,000 patents since 1925 and has played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting key communications technologies. Scientists from Lucent/Bell Labs have received six Nobel Prizes in Physics, nine U.S. National Medals of Science and eight U.S. National Medals of Technology.
From Creative’s Annual Report it seems clear that the MPEG LA and Lucent patent portfolios are worth little more than the paper they are printed on.
Doesn’t the supermarket metaphor used above spring to mind?
Perhaps Creative should reconsider their statements concerning the fact that no adverse effects will occur to its financial position or operations. What happens when criminal seizures of it’s products occur and the products are physically removed from the stores, or when a court injunction forbids them from selling their products?
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual
Your competition may not only come from going up against a competing product, or service. You may have a product that's one of a kind in your field of business, but it is not the only thing people are spending money on.Your job is to get your prospect to spend their money on "your proposition" not something else. This could be your toughest competition yet.Never go into battle without preparing yourself for the fight. As in any war you must analyze your foe and learn as much about them as possible. You'd be foolish to ignore your opposition, or to under-estimate them.Pre-Approach:The pre-approach phase of the selling process gives you the opportunity to make sure you have all your bases covered
According to an Italian online journal, Hardware Upgrade, a David and Goliath style battle is currently underway between a small European company called Sisvel, which has the exclusive rights to license a number of MP3 patents, and Creative Labs. Court injunctions, seizures and messy legal battles are apparently underway across Europe. Creative is facing similar such battles in the USA with a subsidiary of Sisvel called Audio MPEG. It is interesting to note that Creative, through the sale of its MP3 players plans to topple Apple’s market domination in this field – it certainly has an advantage over Apple: it pays nobody. Nonetheless, Standard & Poor's Equity Research analysts have downgraded shares Creative to "sell" from "hold" citing increased competition from Apple Computer in the MP3 player market. Maybe this goes towards explaining why Creative’s stock has nosedived almost 50% in the recent 52 week period!
Creative’s continual strategy of not recognising intellectual property rights could lead to very serious results. The courts don’t hold much esteem for offenders of intellectual property when found guilty. For instance, The maker of the BlackBerry handheld devices (RIM) as part of a court settlement, agreed to pay US$450 million in exchange for NTP granting the right to continue its BlackBerry-related wireless business without further interference from NTP or its patents. A different field of technology, but it stresses a point.
In cases such as these, when a rapid agreement isn’t reached litigation often leads to stock prices dropping like a rock, good faith being literally destroyed and shop keepers becoming dubious whether to stock goods or not for fear of seizure.
In fact, as mentioned above, over the last year Creative’s stock value (CREAF – Nasdaq) has lost almost half it’s value. Will it lose even more? I wonder if holding on to Creative stock is a good idea for the future?
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