“Just when you thought Apple couldn’t own more of the world than it already does, the iPhone maker today secured a further two-year exclusivity deal for Liquidmetal materials technology,” Lee Bell reports for The Inquirer.
“According to an SEC filing on the Liquidmetal Technologies web page, the deal is an extension of an agreement made between the firms back in August 2010, which expired in February,” Bell reports. “‘All intellectual property held by Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC is exclusively licensed on a perpetual basis to Apple for the field of use of consumer electronic products under the MTA’ the SEC filing reads. ‘Under the Amendment, the parties agreed to amend the MTA to extend the February 5, 2012 date to February 5, 2014.'”
Bell reports, “The deal strengthens claims that the material will be used in Apple’s upcoming sixth generation iPhone device, rumoured as the iPhone 5. Some believe the Liquidmetal will form the 2012 iPhone update’s entire casing and these particular designs is what Apple has been working on for the past two years.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc.’s FORM 8-K, June 18, 2012, verbatim:
Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On June 15, 2012, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) and Apple Inc. (“Apple”) entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the Master Transaction Agreement that they previously entered into on August 5, 2010 (the “MTA”). Under the MTA, the Company was originally obligated to contribute to Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC, a special purpose subsidiary of the Company, all intellectual property acquired or developed by the Company through February 5, 2012, and all intellectual property held by Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC is exclusively licensed on a perpetual basis to Apple for the field of use of consumer electronic products under the MTA. Under the Amendment, the parties agreed to amend the MTA to extend the February 5, 2012 date to February 5, 2014.
The foregoing does not purport to be a complete description of the Amendment and is qualified by reference to the full text of such agreement, which will be filed with the Company’s next Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
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Apple’s recent huge investments in plants and equipment for Liquidmetal use in iOS devices, Macs? – May 22, 2012
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Is Apple Inc.’s bet on Liquidmetal about to pay off? – April 30, 2012
RUMOR: New MacBooks to be built with Liquidmetal; MacBook Pro and Air lines to merge – April 26, 2012
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A Liquidmetal iPhone 5: What’s in it for You – April 23, 2012
Apple’s next-gen iPhone may be baptized in Liquidmetal – April 20, 2012
Ceramics, Liquidmetal and Magic Glass, what could Apple’s iPhone 5 tempt us with next? – April 20, 2012
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Apple’s next-gen iPhone: Thinner, lighter, faster – and poured? – April 19, 2012
How Liquidmetal could give the next iPhone its special swagger – April 19, 2012
Apple’s next-gen iPhone main body to shift from Gorilla Glass to Liquidmetal, say industry sources – April 18, 2012
Liquidmetal Technologies filing outlines its multimillion dollar agreement with Apple – March 31, 2012
Apple granted its first Liquidmetal patent – January 5, 2011
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Apple already using Liquidmetal in their… – August 17, 2010
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How will Apple use their exclusive Liquidmetal alloy? – August 12, 2010
Apple’s exclusive Liquidmetal pact could see future Apple products encased in metallic glass – August 11, 2010
Apple inks deal for exclusive rights to custom, super-durable metal alloy – August 09, 2010
Hmmmm, interesting.
Hasn’t stopped Microsoft from stating that the Surface Tablet is made from Liquid Metal. Their VaporMg has been described as both vapor deposited and cast. Two different processes, so I don’t know which to believe. But one of their guys presenting yesterday referred it as liquid metal. Obviously done on purpose in an attempt to take the wind out of Apple’s sails, just as the whole event was meant to blunt Google’s upcoming tablet announcement.
So did anyone notice Steve Balmer emphasize how they made the Surface with liquid metal? Later you find out it is made from magnesium. Great, a flammable brittle metal in a tiny device with a kickstand. It will either burn up with the battery or more likely break the kickstand off of it. Such wonderful innovation. Their magnetic cover, wow how did they ever think that up? And the topper is demoing it on stage and crashing it. Great, notice anyone in line at Best Buy?