3Com Corp has announced that it has bought licences for the United States and foreign patents for Token Ring technology held by Willemijn Holding BV, allowing 3Com to produce, market and distribute Token Ring products without restriction. The licence agreement applies retroactively to 3Com’s existing products based on the IEEE 802.5 Token Ring standard. Under the terms of the agreement, 3Com will pay Willemijn a royalty for all Token Ring products bought by 3Com customers. The agreement remains in effect for the life of the patents. Almost two years ago we granted 3Com limited use of Token Ring technology, giving their product developers, distributors and customers the legal right to implement the 802.5 standard, said Olof Soderblom, inventor of Token Ring technology. The formal agreement reiterates that right and gives 3Com advantage in the Token Ring marketplace. While the IBM licence agreement restricts IBM to the use of its Token Ring products in IBM machines, the terms of the 3Com licence permit dealers and customers to use 3Com Token Ring in both IBM and non-IBM environments. 3Com says it has worked closely with Olof Soderblom since December 1985, guaranteeing fully authorised implementation of all existing and future 3Com Token Ring products. 3Com offers all the elements of a Token Ring system through its authorised resellers. The company’s 3+ network software provides network services for both IBM- compatible personal computers and PS/2 workstations on Token Ring, as well as support for the 3Server3 dedicated file server. 3Com’s TokenLink line of Token Ring adaptors, priced at $650 for the entry-level adaptor and $895 for the high-performance intelligent adaptor, is an alternative to the IBM adaptors.
