SOCI 235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Texas Instruments, Bell Labs
Document Summary
A major step was the invention of the transister (for switching, simplification) ^ was developed by at&ts bell labs in the 1950s. At&t might have pursued either of these strategies: Produce and sell transistors at a high price. License the right to produce and use the technology for a high fee: at&t chose not to adapt either of these strategies ^^ Because of antitrust problems with the government likely that either high prices or high license fees would have attracted the intention of antitrust lawyers in the department of justice. The company informed competitors and potential buyers about the technology. They licensed the technology to other producers in exchange for: a modest fee, licensed access to competitor"s technology (cross licensing) This gave at&t access to the bulk of new technology in the industry. Allows other firms to take the transistor and improve it. Texas instruments created the first successful transistor and the first integrated circuit.
