[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 53 (Thursday, March 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 13433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7150]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Antitrust Division


Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and 
Production Act of 1993; Short Wavelength Optical Storage Consortium

    Notice is hereby given that, on September 3, 1997, pursuant to 
Section 6(a) of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 
1993, 15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), the Short Wavelength 
Optical Storage Consortium (the ``Consortium'') has filed written 
notifications simultaneously with the Attorney General and the Federal 
Trade Commission disclosing changes to (1) the identities of the 
parties and (2) the nature and objectives of the venture. The 
notifications were filed for the purpose of extending the Act's 
provisions limiting the recovery of antitrust plaintiffs to actual 
damages under specified circumstances. Pursuant to Section 6(b) of the 
Act, the identities of the parties added to the Joint Venture are: 
Hewlett Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA; Imation Corp., Oakdale, MN. The 
parties dropped are: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, IBM, 
Philips Electronics N.V., Philips Electronic North American 
Corporation.
    A change in planned activities occurred in 1997. The venture 
entered into a new agreement with various effective dates to work 
together to develop technology for cost effective fabrication of 
commercially attractive wavelength systems. Advances in optical storage 
technology are required to meet the evolving, information-intensive 
requirements of military, commercial and consumer users. The goal of 
the venture is to develop the technology base for a high density blue-
green laser rewritable optical storage system, targeting commercial 
sales by the year 2000. The technical approach includes parallel 
development of laser diodes, plastic substrates, recording layers, 
servo and recording formats, and detection systems.
    On April 18, 1995, the participants filed their original 
notification pursuant to section 6(a) of the Act. The Department of 
Justice published a notice in the Federal Register pursuant to section 
6(b) of the Act on June 27, 1995 (60 FR 33233).
Constance K. Robinson,
Director of Operations, Antitrust Division.
[FR Doc. 98-7150 Filed 3-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-11-M