Peter Clarke, EETimes
8/12/2013 12:00 PM EDT
LONDON — Ron Black was appointed CEO of Rambus in June 2012. More than a year later, there are signs that he intends to refocus the company on bringing technology, products, and services to market, rather than simply licensing patents.
Black's predecessor, Howard Hughes, had a policy of diversification through acquisition. He extended the company beyond its origins in semiconductor memory interface licensing. The company won some high-profile and high-value licensing deals, but it also found itself in court, and on occasion it had its business practices criticized. Black is driving his team hard to monetize that technology base, but not by being a patent troll, according to chief marketing officer Jerome Nadel told us.