
Cassette Tape Format Is 50 Years Old - shawndumas
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2013/09/14/cassette-tape-format-is-50-years-old/
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pwg
From the article> Although there were other magnetic tape cartridge systems,
Philips’ Compact Cassette became dominant as a result of Philips’ decision in
the face of pressure from Sony to license the format free of charge.

It is interesting that _Sony_ pressured Philips to license the compact
cassette "free of charge". One of the often quoted reasons for Sony's later
loss of the Beta vs. VHS videocassette war was Sony's refusal to license their
Beta format free of charge. They did not listen to their own advice that time
around.

