Japanese electronics maker Hitachi Ltd. has announced that it will launch Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing Co., Ltd. on July 1, 2005. The subsidiary is tasked with managing the Plasma Display Panel (PDP) portfolio of plasma television technology owned by Hitachi. Akira Shibata, the company’s Corporate Chief Engineer of Ubiquitous Platform Systems, will lead the division.
Hitachi, Ltd., is also forming a strategic alliance with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., which is known for its popular Panasonic consumer electronics brand. It’s possible that Hitachi may allow Matsushita Electric Industrial to acquire an equity interest in the Hitachi Plasma subsidiary. Also, the partnership will enable the two companies to develop a licensing relationship, as well as to manage joint developments that will arise from their collaboration.
Industry forecasts point to an increased demand for digital broadcasting in the PDP sector of the market, and a growing popularity of plasma TV’s that have larger screens and higher definition. With its position as one of the leading manufacturers of plasma TV’s worldwide, Hitachi is determined to ramp up its slate of products. The company has already announced the launch of LCD-based flat panel sets for the U.S. market, which will become available between June and October 2005. The models to be released don’t come cheap–they’ll be priced from $1,999 all the way up to $6,999. Hitachi isn’t very well known for its plasma TV’s outside the Japanese market, so they are doing their best to penetrate the international markets with sleek, new products.
