Not everyone gets mugged for IP

By Mike Clendenin, Courtesy of EE Times
Apr 2 2007 (9:00 AM)

Intellectual-property theft in China isn't going away anytime soon. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are still plenty of ways for chip designers and manufacturers like Intel to get in on China's growth without getting mugged.

All IP theft is not the same in China. Just because pirated DVDs, Gucci bags and Rolexes abound doesn't mean that chip makers will see their goods hawked on the street as well. Many companies have safeguards in place to prevent IP theft.

For instance, at Chipnuts Technology Inc. in Shanghai, engineers gain access to the company's designs-in-progress only through isolated servers. "There is no way for anyone to take this stuff out of here. We made sure to invest in that technology," said John Yu, the company's chief operating officer.

At ARM China, the company is willing to give its clients soft cores, but only if the customers have been vetted. "You have to make sure that their interests are in line with yours," said Jun Tan, president of ARM China. "If they bring original IP to the design, then they won't want to see that stolen."

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