

An interview with Hans Camenzind (the designer of the 555 timer IC) - cesare
http://www.semiconductormuseum.com/Transistors/LectureHall/Camenzind/Camenzind_Index.htm

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cesare
Q: What patents are related to the 555?

A: There are no patents on the 555. Signetics did not want to apply for a
patent. You see, the situation with patents in Silicon Valley in 1970 was
entirely different than it is now. Everybody was stealing from everybody else.
I designed the 555 Signetics produced it, and six months, or before a year
later, National had it, Fairchild had it, and nobody paid any attention to
patents. The people at Signetics told me they didn’t want to apply for a
patent, because what would happen if they tried to enforce that patent, is the
people from Fairchild would come back with a Manhattan-sized telephone book
and say “These are our patents, now let’s see what you’re violating”. It was a
house of cards – if you blew on it, the whole thing collapsed. It took about
ten years to change. I guess it was some new companies that didn’t have
ancient history and did have a strong patent, and started enforcing, and that
changed to whole situation. It is very intense now. The same thing – I have a
patent on the phase locked loop, and that would have been a very strong
patent, but no enforcement.

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chipsy
Two 555's are used as the key components of the "Atari Punk Console" - a
simple noisemaker synth.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OScKPHnFv8>

