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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The DIY community, and manufacturers, have wanted
Curtis reissued for 20</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>years or more. All we ever heard was why this
wasn't viable.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm no big fan of Behringer, but it's due to them
that we now not only have the chip</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>accessible, but it's even dual sourced, making
it useable for manufacturers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What is very sad is that almost nobody is making
any new interesting analog chips -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>obviously it is quite possible to do so. (Reverse
engineering takes 95% as much work as a </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"new" chip - posibly more, as you have to exactly
match fixed targets, even any original imperfections).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And I don't want to get into the patent/morality
thing either, but note that the whole basis of the </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>patent system, is that when a patent expires anyone
is free to use the technology - it's part of the </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>deal, in return for giving the inventor exclusivity
in the first place.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Note also, it isn't just the original Curtis chips
that can be made using those patents - it would be</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>possible to make plenty of other interesting &
useful things<FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>. I certainly hope someone
will!</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>paul perry Melbourne Australia ----- </DIV>
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