RCA Trademark Management
| |
| RCA | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1899 (Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America) 1906 (United Wireless Telegraph Company) November 20, 1919 (Radio Corporation of America) 1969 (RCA Corporation) 1991 (RCA Trademark Management) |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Key people | Guglielmo Marconi (Marconi Wireless Telegraph) Abraham White (United Wireless Telegraph) |
| Industry | music, electronics |
| Products | music, electronics |
| Number of people | not disclosed |
| Website | http://www.rca.com/ |
RCA Trademark Management is a trademark management company.
Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America
The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America was founded in 1899 by Guglielmo Marconi.
United Wireless Telegraph Company
United Wireless Telegraph Company was founded in 1906 by Abraham White.
United Wireless Telegraph Company bankruptcy
United Wireless Telegraph Company went bankrupt in 1912 and its assets were acquired by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America.
Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America purchased by General Electric
During World War I, the United States government assumed control of the radio industry. After the war, the US government balked at returning the American Marconi stations to its original owners, distrusting British control of radio transmission due to national security concerns.
Radio Corporation of America
In 1919, the American Marconi radio stations were acquired by General Electric. On November 20th, the American Marconi assets were reorganized into the new GE Radio Corporation of America subsidiary.
Radio Corporation of America put into a patent trust
As American Marconi had been lagging behind others in the industry in regards to technological adjustments, Radio Corporation of America made a series of mutually beneficial cross-licensing agreements. On July 1, 1920, the American Telephone & Telegraph Company agreed to purchase 500,000 shares of RCA. As the United Fruit Company had a small portfolio of radio patents, it signed two agreements with RCA in 1921. Finally, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Corporation negotiated a cross-licensing agreement, that went into effect on July 1, 1921, which included a concession that 40% of RCA's equipment purchases would be from Westinghouse. This resulted in Radio Corporation of America being owned 30.1% by GE, 20.6% by Westinghouse, 10.3% by AT&T, 4.1% by United Fruit, and 34.9% by individual shareholders.
Following the agreements, the patent assets of the four shareholder companies were put into a patent trust, which was reorganized into Radio Corporation of America.
AT&T divested its 500,000 shares in Radio Corporation of America in 1923.
Radio Corporation of America becomes independent
Due to complaints that the cross-licensing agreements between the remaining shareholders created illegal monopolies, the United States Department of Justice brought antitrust charges against AT&T, GE, United Fruit Company, and Westinghouse in May 1930.
The Radio Corporation of America became an independent company in 1932 after the partners agreed to divest their ownerships as part of an agreement to settle the antitrust case.
RCA Corporation
Radio Corporation of America was renamed RCA Corporation in 1969.
General Electric reacquires RCA Corporation
on December 12, 1985, it was announced that General Electric would reacquire its former subsidiary for $6.28 billion USD in cash, or $66.50 USD per share of stock. The acquisition, which was the largest non-oil company merger in history at the time, was completed on June 9, 1986.
Closure of RCA Corporation and sale of manufacturing rights and trademarks to Thomson Consumer Electronics
RCA Corporation closed in 1987. In 1988, Thomson Consumer Electronics gave General Electric some of its medical businesses in exchange for the RCA trademark rights and the rights to manufacture consumer electronics products under the RCA and GE brands were acquired by Thomson Consumer Electronics, in exchange for some of Thomson's medical businesses.
Foundation of RCA Trademark Management
Thomson Consumer Electronics founded RCA Trademark Management in 1991 to handle the RCA trademarks.
Sale of RCA trademarks to Talisman Brands
In 2022, the successor company of Thomson Consumer Electronics, Technicolor SA, sold RCA Trademark Management, which held the RCA trademark and licensing rights, to the licensing firm Talisman Brands, doing business as Established.
Computers and video game consoles by RCA
| Title | Manufacturer | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCA Studio II | RCA | 1977 | ROM cartridge-based second-generation video game console. |
| Tandy Data Products System 100 | Tandy | 1982 | TRS-80 Color Computer variant distributed by RCA to stores other than RadioShack. |