Second source

Second source

In the electronics industry, a second source is a company that is licensed to manufacture and sell components originally designed by another company (the first source).

It used to be common for purchasers to avoid components that were only available from a single source. For simple components such as resistors and transistors, this was not usually a problem, but for complex integrated circuits, vendors often reacted by licensing one or more other companies to manufacture and sell the same parts as second sources. While the details of such licenses are usually confidential, they often involved cross-licensing, so that the original company also obtained the right to manufacture and sell parts designed by the second source.

Examples

MOS Technology licensed Rockwell and Synertek to second source the 6502 microprocessor and support components.

Intel licensed AMD to second source Intel microprocessors such as the 8086 and its related support components. This second source agreement is particularly famous for leading to much litigation between the two parties. The agreement gave AMD the rights to second source later Intel parts, but Intel refused to provide the masks for the 386 to AMD. AMD reverse engineered the 386, and Intel then claimed that AMD's license to the 386 microcode only allowed AMD to "use" the microcode but not to sell products incorporating it. The courts eventually decided in favor of AMD.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • second-source — [sek′əndsôrs′] adj. of or pertaining to a cooperative arrangement whereby the products, as electronic parts, of one company are also manufactured by another company vt. second sourced, second sourcing to manufacture (another company s products)… …   Universalium

  • second-source — [sek′əndsôrs′] adj. of or pertaining to a cooperative arrangement whereby the products, as electronic parts, of one company are also manufactured by another company vt. second sourced, second sourcing to manufacture (another company s products)… …   English World dictionary

  • Second source — Mit dem Begriff second source (engl. für Zweitlieferant) werden in der Materialwirtschaft und der Produktionswirtschaft eine oder mehrere alternative Lieferanten für ein Produkt bezeichnet, welches baugleich und kompatibel zu einem anderen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Second-Source-Produkt —   [ sekənd sɔːs ; englisch second source, eigentlich »zweite Quelle«], Bezeichnung für Halbleiterbauelemente (v. a. integrierte Schaltungen wie Mikroprozessoren), die von unabhängigen Zweitherstellern in Lizenz gefertigt werden. Ein… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Second-Source-Produkt — Se|cond Source Pro|dukt [ sɛkəndsɔ:s...] das; [e]s, e <zu engl. second source »zweite Quelle«> Bez. für Halbleiterbauelemente (vor allem integrierte Schaltungen wie Mikroprozessoren), die von unabhängigen Zweitherstellern in Lizenz… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • second source —    In computer hardware, an alternative supplier of an identical product. Second sources are a safety net for the buyer, because there are at least two suppliers for one product …   Dictionary of networking

  • Source (comics) — The Source was a metaphysical concept created by writer/artist Jack Kirby for his Fourth World series of comic books. DefinitionIt can be considered a shared Consciousness in the DC Comics Universe, where it is the non religious equivalent to… …   Wikipedia

  • Source Wall — Infobox comics location imagesize = caption = publisher = DC Comics debut = creators = Jack Kirby type = landmark=y residents = races = locations = subcat = DC Comics altcat = sortkey = PAGENAMEThe Source Wall is a fictional structure in the DC… …   Wikipedia

  • Second Wind (company) — Infobox Company name = Second Wind type = Private foundation = 1980 founder = Walter Sass Kenneth Cohn location city = Somerville, Massachusetts location country = U.S. location = locations = area served = key people = Walter Sass, President Ken… …   Wikipedia

  • Second Life — Developer(s) Linden Research, Inc Engine Proprietary …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”