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Why Toshiba Left Canon’s SED Television Joint Venture

Toshiba gave up its stake in SED Inc. amid a patent-license dispute involving Canon. The ownership change did not end Nano-Proprietary’s litigation.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read

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Toshiba withdrew from SED Inc. in January 2007 after a patent dispute put the structure of its joint venture with Canon at issue. Canon became SED Inc.’s sole owner, but the change did not end the litigation: Nano-Proprietary said its case against Canon would continue. Toshiba planned to remain involved as a television maker and panel buyer, rather than a panel producer.

What ended the Canon–Toshiba SED joint venture?

The dispute concerned a license for field-emission display technology, not a disagreement over television sales. Nano-Proprietary owned relevant patents and had licensed its technology to Canon in 1999. The license limited use to Canon subsidiaries. When Canon and Toshiba established SED Inc. in 2004, Nano-Proprietary argued that the new company did not qualify because Canon and Toshiba owned it in nearly equal shares. Nano-Proprietary sued in 2005.

On January 12, 2007, EE Times reported that Toshiba had agreed to withdraw and transfer its SED Inc. shares to Canon. The transfer made Canon the sole owner as of January 29, 2007. The change addressed the ownership structure behind Nano-Proprietary’s licensing argument, but it did not establish that the patent dispute was over. EE Times’ January 12, 2007 report

Did Canon’s takeover settle the lawsuit?

No. Canon’s spokesman said, “We believe this decision will settle the dispute” with Nano-Proprietary. Nano-Proprietary CEO Tom Bijou rejected that view, saying, “Restructuring of Canon’s ownership position does not resolve the pending litigation which goes to trial in a few weeks.” Bijou also said the company had terminated Canon’s license for breach of contract, while indicating that Nano-Proprietary was willing to consider “a new license agreement with Canon on reasonable terms.”

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Those statements show the difference between changing SED Inc.’s ownership and resolving the contractual and patent claims. The January 2007 report records the parties’ positions at that time; it does not establish the eventual outcome of the litigation.

What changed for Canon and Toshiba?

Issue Canon after the restructuring Toshiba after the restructuring
Ownership Became SED Inc.’s sole owner after Toshiba transferred its shares. Withdrew its ownership stake in SED Inc.
Patent-dispute exposure Remained the party facing Nano-Proprietary’s claims concerning the license and its termination. The report describes the dispute as concerning Canon’s license; it does not state that Toshiba was a party to the lawsuit.
Panel production Retained SED Inc. and still needed to develop a plan for volume production. Stopped producing SED panels and planned to buy them from SED Inc.
Television launch Continued plans for a Japan launch in the fourth quarter of 2007, using panels from Canon’s Hiratsuka pilot line. Planned to build SED television sets using purchased panels.
Ongoing contribution Would take over SED Inc.’s ownership; Kazunori Fukuma was to move to Canon as SED Inc.’s president. Was to continue providing television technologies, with Toshiba engineers continuing under a new contract.

The comparison is based on what the companies and Nano-Proprietary said in the January 2007 report. It describes plans at the time, not confirmation that the announced television launch or production plans were completed.

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What happened to SED televisions?

The breakup did not immediately cancel the announced television project. The companies still planned a Japan introduction in the fourth quarter of 2007, with initial panels coming from Canon’s Hiratsuka pilot line. Toshiba said it would withdraw completely from panel production but purchase panels from SED Inc. to make television sets.

That plan left a significant manufacturing challenge with Canon: the pilot line was not the same as a volume-production operation, and Canon still had to start over on a volume-production plan. The cited report gives no production-volume, sales, or performance figures, so it cannot support a claim about how many SED televisions were ultimately made or how they performed in the market.

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