Broadcom Awarded 2,000th U.S. Patent

Broadcom's 2,000th U.S. patent was issued March 13 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers innovative techniques for controlling multiple antennas and radios in wireless devices.

Broadcom's patent portfolio has grown significantly since the company went public in 1998. In 1999, Broadcom held just five patents; by the year 2003, the number had grown to 416. It has continued to grow steadily until reaching the latest milestone.

Broadcom also holds over 750 foreign patents and more than 5,900 additional pending patent applications, having amassed one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data. At the end of 2006, of the more than 5,200 Broadcom employees worldwide, 73 percent were engaged in research and development, with the majority holding advanced degrees, including 439 Ph.D.s.

Last fall, IEEE Spectrum magazine, in an analysis conducted by an independent firm, ranked Broadcom as having the fifth most powerful patent pipeline of all companies in the world, and the third most powerful in the Semiconductor Manufacturing category. In another, separate analysis, the Patent Board just ranked Broadcom third worldwide on its Patent Scorecard for Semiconductors. The Patent Scorecard ranks corporate innovation using a series of metrics to determine patent quality, technological strength and breadth of impact.

"When you combine the power of our intellectual property portfolio with many of the world's best engineers, you get innovative technologies and products that allow the world to communicate better, faster and more cost effectively," said Dr. Henry Samueli, Broadcom's Co-Founder, Chief Technical Officer and Chairman. "Broadcom's products are driving the convergence of voice, video and data into an ever-growing array of products for the home, the workplace and mobile environments."

Through the breadth and diversity of Broadcom's IP and product portfolio, the company's state-of-the-art technology touches millions of people around the world every day at work and in the home and as they communicate while on the move. Among those innovations: Broadcom's enterprise switches help direct voice, video and data in businesses, while Bluetooth® products enable hands- free cellular phone use while driving and wireless connectivity for one of the world's most popular game systems. Advanced chips for broadband modems are satisfying consumer demand for better and faster distribution of voice, video and data throughout the digital home. Broadcom is providing cellular phone technology and products that enable advanced, next-generation features and capabilities with lower power consumption and lower cost.

"Our goal is to be the world leader in communications semiconductors, providing our customers with the most innovative and cost-effective products available," said Dr. Samueli. "Our growing IP portfolio is a cornerstone in pursuit of that goal" - Broadcom.