Provision of License for Microsoft Research Technology and IP: Agreement
Reached With FAST
FAST is the first Japanese company to license IP and technology from Microsoft
Research.
REDMOND, Wash., and TOKYO, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Co.
Ltd. has reached an agreement with FAST Corp., based in Yamato, Kanagawa
prefecture, for the licensing of digital camera calibration technology
developed by Microsoft Research, the research arm of Microsoft Corp. Microsoft
operates a successful global intellectual property (IP) licensing program for
innovations and technologies developed by Microsoft Research's six labs
throughout the world. However, this is the first agreement of this nature in
Japan. FAST aims to use the licensed technology to improve the precision of
its various image-processing products and accelerate the development of new
inspection systems and other products.
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Microsoft also will provide development support to FAST through a program
run by the Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) in Chofu, Tokyo. MIC provides
comprehensive support to IT companies (software vendors, hardware vendors and
systems integrators), universities and other educational and research
facilities, and entrepreneurs dedicated to the development of new and
innovative technology. The support takes the form of access to the large-scale
development and testing facilities housed within the Microsoft Chofu
Technology Center, where Microsoft develops its own products, and a wide range
of development support programs.
As part of these activities, MIC supports Microsoft's IP Licensing
program, in which it licenses various Microsoft technologies and provides
related technical support. The licenses include those for technology developed
by Microsoft Research as well as for application programming interfaces
(APIs), data formats, protocols, and other technical information used in the
Windows operating system and other Microsoft products. Through these
activities, companies and other organizations receiving support can expect to
help reduce development costs and enhance the value of their products.
The agreement is another example of Microsoft's continuing efforts to
provide companies, startups and businesses around the world with access to
cutting-edge technologies developed in Microsoft Research labs. This type of
collaboration also adds value to a healthy IT ecosystem and helps create local
economic development opportunities.
"We have high expectations that our agreement with Microsoft on the
licensing of its IP related to digital camera calibration technology will
prove to be of great use to us in developing our image-processing business,"
said Masakatsu Makino, president of FAST.
"FAST is a specialist image-processing technology company that develops,
manufactures and sells image-processing software, devices and systems," Makino
said. "The IP licensed from Microsoft is outstanding camera calibration
technology for 3-D measurement and inspection systems utilizing 3-D
measurement in production environments in which high practical precision and
simple camera calibration operation processes are required. We plan to roll
out distinctive image-processing products in the near future that incorporate
this technology. As a company developing advanced technology to meet customer
needs, we feel that Microsoft's technology will bring many benefits."
"As its licensing of this technology demonstrates, Microsoft is
implementing a policy of providing a broad range of industries with access to
its technology with the aim of contributing to the advance and growth of other
industries and their technology," Makino said. "We take our hats off to
Microsoft for this admirable policy."
"This agreement with FAST is an example of how Microsoft is committed to
licensing its intellectual property portfolio to benefit customers and the IT
ecosystem as a whole," said Shunichi Kajisa, chief technology officer of
Microsoft Co. Ltd. "Agreements like this allow companies around the world to
access our rich research and development and patent portfolio and create
cutting-edge technologies that benefit their value proposition to customers.
"FAST has long adopted new technology to create competitive products and
drive its growth," Kajisa said. "We feel honored that Microsoft technology
will be incorporated into FAST's products, and we are very grateful for the
opportunity that FAST provided us to demonstrate how our technology can be
applied to various fields. We hope to take our relationship beyond this
agreement and continue to work together for our mutual growth."
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
pr.mspx./ /CONTACT: Rapid Response Team of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide,
+1-503-443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.
