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Apple Renews Rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' Alloys for Consumer Products

Wednesday May 21, 2014 3:20 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Liquid MetalApple has renewed exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal Technologies' metal alloys in consumer electronics items, according to a filing with the SEC.

The rights were originally purchased back in 2010, to run through February 2014. The new renewal extends the agreement through February of 2015.
On May 19, 2014, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) and Apple Inc. (“Apple”) entered into an second amendment (the “Second Amendment”) to the Master Transaction Agreement that was originally entered into on August 5, 2010 (the “MTA”) and amended on June 15, 2012 (the “First Amendment”). Under the MTA and the First Amendment, the Company was obligated to contribute to Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC, a special purpose subsidiary of the Company, all intellectual property acquired or developed by the Company from August 5, 2010 through February 5, 2014, and all intellectual property held by Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC was exclusively licensed on a perpetual basis to Apple for the field of use of consumer electronic products under the MTA. Under the Second Amendment, the parties agreed to amend the MTA and the First Amendment to extend the February 5, 2014 date to February 5, 2015.
According to a report from earlier this year, Apple is interested in using Liquidmetal's alloys for home buttons, touch sensors and tamper-resistant screws. The alloys possess a number of unique properties including high strength and corrosion resistance while remaining relatively light and able to cast into a variety of forms.

[ 58 comments ]


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AngerDanger
62 months ago
It's only a matter of time before…

Rating: 23 Votes
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troop231
62 months ago

Can't wait to see what Apple has in store.


http://store.apple.com

Ok I'm done being a smarta$$ :p
Rating: 20 Votes
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HiVolt
62 months ago
Maybe make something other than a sim ejector tool from it eh Apple?
Rating: 15 Votes
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camnchar
62 months ago
Dear Tim Cook,

Please use these rights for something.

Chuck
Rating: 14 Votes
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nuckinfutz
62 months ago
I tell you it's gonna be great in 2025 to finally see an Apple branded product made from liquid metal.
Rating: 10 Votes
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TallManNY
62 months ago
Ah

Ah, Liquid Metal. The most disappointing Apple rumor of all. We've not gotten much out of this wonderful substance yet. But maybe next year!
Rating: 9 Votes
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HobeSoundDarryl
62 months ago
Maybe the is about NOT letting some key competitor have access to it rather than being the basis for some Apple product? Happens all the time: buy to suppress rather than buy to impress.

While just speculation, I'd think if something was impending that really showcased the use of LM, Apple would "renew" for longer than 1 year. If that something is a big hit, they'd want to keep the lock on for longer than 1 year rather than potentially being hit up to pay more to renew again.

I'm suspicious of the short-term.
Rating: 8 Votes
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diddl14
62 months ago

OMFG My mind has been blown! I just bought half a million shares today at 0.20.

Make sure you sell them before Feb 2015...
Rating: 5 Votes
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kdarling
62 months ago

Is anyone using Liquidmetal in any mass-produced products currently? I've heard about this stuff for years but with the exception of the back cover of my old Sansa mp3 player and a SIM ejector tool from Apple I haven't seen it used anywhere.


Samsung used LiquidMetal for years for corrosion/scratch resistant parts in their phones, starting back in 2002. They even sold a $1500 phone with a whole chassis made of it, in 2008, two years before Apple got involved with LM.

Maybe the is about NOT letting some key competitor have access to it rather than being the basis for some Apple product? Happens all the time: buy to suppress rather than buy to impress.


Could be that.

And/or perhaps LM Tech is making enough progress using Apple funds, that Apple wants to keep exclusive rights.

While just speculation, I'd think if something was impending that really showcased the use of LM, Apple would "renew" for longer than 1 year.


I think most everyone is confused about this. For the skimmers, I'll boldface:

HERE IS WHAT THE EXCLUSIVE AND THE TIME EXTENSION MEANS

What Apple originally licensed, was the perpetual exclusive rights to use, in consumer electronics, any technology created or acquired by Liquidmetal Technologies between Aug 2010 and Feb 2012.

In other words, if LiquidMetal Technologies invented a better alloy in 2011, then Apple would be the only company able to use that alloy in a consumer electronics device... forever.

However, if LM Tech invented the better alloy in 2013, anyone could use it under the original terms.

That's why Apple purchased another two years of rights that ran into 2014, and now they have purchased yet another year into 2015.

Summary: Apple's exclusive license to use LM's inventions (made between 2010 and 2015) in consumer electronics lasts forever.
Rating: 5 Votes
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AppleScruff1
62 months ago

This is great news for consumers. I'm excited to see Apple take these rights forward into some incredible new revolutionary products. And the best bit Apple's exclusive rights to the technology means samesung et all can't copy this time. :D


Yea, great news. They've done so much with the technology the past 4 years.
Rating: 3 Votes

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