Abstract:

As IC technology approaches scaling limits; to gain competitive advantage, prosper and grow, the various segments of the semiconductor industry have begun evolving. Change is underway, involving all industry segments, from invention, to engineering, the component and product manufacturing. While previously, manufacturing prowess defined industry leadership, intellectual property development has become a more significant success factor. This talk focuses on industry change and also the recent changes to the U.S. patent law and their impact.

Speaker’s Biography:

Robert “Bob” Witkow is President of Westwood Marketing, LLC, a leading provider of strategic development, market intelligence and expert services for the memory semiconductor and data storage industries. Mr. Witkow is a recognized expert on business factors involving non-volatile memory (flash) and controller components, and their applications. He has served in expert witness capacities involving flash memory intellectual property, licensing disputes, and memory industry business standards and practices.

 

Westwood Marketing was established in January of 2003 and has served clients ranging from Intel, Samsung, Micron and Spansion to VC-backed startups, most recently Contour Semiconductor a developer of phase-change memory and currently Avalanche Technology, who is commercializing pMTJ-based memory technology.  Prior to establishing Westwood Marketing, Bob served in senior management positions at SMART Modular Technologies; a leading independent memory module manufacturer, at Lexar Media, where he managed OEM and Technology Sales, Licensing and Marketing, and at M-Systems, where as Director of Sales and Marketing he brought the USB Flash Drive to the America’s. He is a 1981 graduate of California State University, Northridge.