By wpengine February 1, 2002
Although the University’s pending lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard may not be resolved in the near future, Cornell students will not be affected, according to University officials. Henrik N. Dullea ’61, vice president of University relations, stated that the lawsuit “creates tensions within the corporation and the University.” However, he added that the suit would not affect student recruitment by the corporation. “The company will continue to recruit [Cornell] graduates because it is in their interest to do so,” Dullea said. “This is an isolated patent issue,” said Patricia McClary, University Counsel. “Equipment [on campus] will not be affected.” The University is suing Hewlett-Packard for a patent infringement of Professor Emeritus H.C. Torng’s work (US Patent No. 4,807,115). Damages could potentially exceed $100 million, according to Cornell News Services. Cornell filed a complaint against Hewlett Packard on Dec. 27, 2001, but the issue may not be resolved for ‘a very long time,” according to Dullea. “Patent infringement is not unusual. In most cases, the company using the idea works with you on a licensing agreement and it doesn’t come to a disagreement. Litigation is unusual, but licensing is not,” said Dullea. For example, Intel Corp. has a licensing agreement with the University. Intel recognized Torng’s work and named Torng the first Intel Academic Research Fellow. Torng’s invention, which took him twenty years to complete, accelerates a computer’s processing speed.To describe his invention, Torng used a metaphor of the New York Thruway. “Think of a New York Thruway where there is one lane and when one car stalls, all other cars are stuck,” he said. “Each [computer instruction] is like a car. I looked beyond stalled instructions to see if any other instructions could be processed [simultaneously].” Torng, a retired professor, began his work in the 1960’s and patented his invention in the early 1980’s. Torng was a professor at Cornell’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering during the time of the research. He stated he was not at liberty to comment on the actual lawsuit. The Hewlett-Packard patent suit is not the first of its kind for the University. The University also has a lawsuit pending against Zeiss Optical Company, a corporation that produces lenses for microscopes and telescopes, according to Dullea. University counsel James J. Mingle, and Robert Lee Constable, dean for computing and information, did not wish to comment on the Hewlett-Packard lawsuit. Mingle only stated that the University had filed a complaint. Hewlett-Packard’s legal department was not available for comment. According to Dullea, Hewlett-Packard is “challenging the patent itself.” From a student perspective, Jordan Erenrich ’02, the president of the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates said, “I find it very reassuring that discoveries and research are protected by Cornell.” Archived article by Jamie Yonks
By wpengine February 1, 2002
Congressional Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-26) spoke to his constituency at a question and answer forum last night at the recently reopened State Theatre in downtown Ithaca. Members of the Cornell and Tompkins County communities gathered to hear him speak on a number of issues, mainly the impact of Sept. 11 on Central Asia and the MIddle East. Hinchey was part of the five-congressman delegation that recently traveled to Afghanistan to “see the effects of U.S. funded programs there.” While in Afghanistan, the delegation visited a number of civil organizations, such as a a school in the city of Queda, which is sponsored by one of the U.S. government programs, “Save the Children.” During the forum, many citizens expressed concern over civil liberties and Hinchey’s initial support of the USA PATRIOT Act, which passed in Congress. Although Hinchey was originally in favor of the bill, during the meeting he apologized for his vote. “It was a mistake, a vote we were forced to make. There was no hearing or examination,” Hinchey said. Later, he emphasized that he “was forced to vote for it, not on it.” “I think it was encouraging to have so many constituents [in attendance],” said Prof. Michael Latham, international nutrition. “Hinchey is very outspoken about Bush’s administration policy which is directed against terrorism, but is in fact undermining basic human rights of Americans.” Many were also concerned about America’s military involvement in Afghanistan. “We as a country need to set a higher example if we except others to act in a civilized way. People look to us for leadership and we are giving the wrong example,” Hinchey said. However, since visiting Afghanistan after the recent bombings, Hinchey stated his belief that “it had to be done,” in order to prevent more civilian deaths in Afghanistan and surrounding areas by the Taliban government. “A lot more needs to be done in the Middle East. We need to pay more attention to conflict,” Hinchey said. Hinchey is supported by many members of the Ithaca community, since he got close to 70 percent of the vote during the last election. “I think that he’s done good things for Ithaca, said Rachel May ’02. “In the wake of September 11, he expressed the same general view of the people in the community — that Bush’s reign on the war in Afghanistan should not remain unchallenged and that while we’re at war, we should not ignore our domestic policy and that we should make sure our civil liberties are not eroded in the name of liberty abroad.” “We need to pay close attention to the actions of our government,” Hinchey concluded.Archived article by Veronika Belenkaya