Summary
Ric Richardson is an Australian inventor. He is the holder of multiple granted patents including the Uniloc patent US5490216 and the Logarex patent 6400293. Although he spent twelve years in California to promote and develop products produced by Uniloc, Richardson grew up in Sydney and currently resides just outside of Byron Bay.
He is the founder of Uniloc, a company based on the technology he first patented in 1992. The machine fingerprinting technology is used to stop software piracy, it was developed as Richardson worked on piracy protection for his own software called One-Step. He is an independent inventor with a role as founder of the online publication technology called zkimmer.
Richardson began tinkering with bicycle design in the mid 1970s. Richardson and his brother are the designers of the "shade saver", cords used to keep sunglasses on the wearer.
Uniloc was awarded US$388 million dollars in a lawsuit against Microsoft for their infringement of a product activation patent held by Uniloc. The application before the court to go to trial was originally blocked by a summary judgement for Microsoft. Uniloc appealed the ruling, eventually sending the case to a federal appeals court in 2008.
Since that time Ric has focused more and more on pure invention and limited his entrepreneurial involvement to proving a working model and then finding a home for the invention, be it a technology sale or finding a team leader to take the technology and run with it as a stand-alone company.
This new path started in 2003 when he teamed up with young entrepreneur Craig Etchegoyen of Newport Beach, CA with whom he co-founded the US subsidiary of Uniloc called Uniloc USA.
In 2000, Ric invented a method for data compression called Logarex, which uses logarithms to produce compression. While this technology is still in research it is hoped that it will deliver massive advances in compression capability with the audacious goal of fitting a DVD movie on a floppy disk.
Only recently, in mid 2007, Ric also invented a method for adapting mapping technology to use digital publication data. The result now called zkimmer, is a way of producing digital edition of magazines and newspapers that allow users to browse and scan the pages of the publication as if they were scanning and zooming in and out of a map on Google Maps.
Ric never went to college or university, but rather has seeked out ways to self-educate. “It’s a lot more expensive and time consuming to find the best mind on a subject and pay for one on one education, but the pay-offs are immeasurable” says Ric.
Ric reasons that by the time the leading scientist in a field gets published, and that knowledge gets assimilated by the education system that you are always 4-10 years behind the game. The effort to get to the source has been tremendous advantage to Ric. Over the years he has worked with many great minds and people from Brian Bergin, the former CEO of Colgate Palmolive for Europe, to Nobel laureate Nominee professor Peter Rentzepiz of UC Irvine, to a brilliant young entrepreneur Craig Etchegoyen who sold his first company for $20 million at 17.
After leaving school Ric started a career in the music and publishing industries. Ric operated high end music computers for musicians who recorded in some of Sydney Australia’s top recording studio’s. During that time he worked with members of bands such as INXS and Gangajang.
He also wrote for computer and music magazines such as Electronic Musician, the Australian Apple Review, and Chorus. He subsequently published his own magazine called Creative Music and Video.
After working in the US, Ric secured the rights to a music software product called One-Step. It was during an upgrade cycle for this software title that Ric came up with the idea of locking a software license to a specific device and the Uniloc technology was born.
He is the founder of Uniloc, a company based on the technology he first patented in 1992. The machine fingerprinting technology is used to stop software piracy, it was developed as Richardson worked on piracy protection for his own software called One-Step. He is an independent inventor with a role as founder of the online publication technology called zkimmer.
Richardson began tinkering with bicycle design in the mid 1970s. Richardson and his brother are the designers of the "shade saver", cords used to keep sunglasses on the wearer.
Uniloc was awarded US$388 million dollars in a lawsuit against Microsoft for their infringement of a product activation patent held by Uniloc. The application before the court to go to trial was originally blocked by a summary judgement for Microsoft. Uniloc appealed the ruling, eventually sending the case to a federal appeals court in 2008.
Microsoft products Windows XP, Office XP, and Windows Server 2003 were found to infringe the Uniloc patent by a federal jury in Rhode Island. They found that damages were due and Microsoft's conduct was willful. On 30 September 2009, The Melbourne Age reported that US District Judge William Smith "vacated" the jury's verdict and ruled in favour of Microsoft. This ruling was appealed and won by Uniloc. Microsoft then agreed to finally settle out of court, paying an undisclosed, but surely substantial, amount in compensation to Uniloc and the inventor.
Microsoft is now a licensee of the Uniloc technology Ric invented and the companies biggest customer.
Details/ Background
Welcome to the information and blog web site for Australian born inventor Ric Richardson. His first patented invention was a foundation technology used in software Activation he invented in 1992 and is now a company based in Irvine, California.
In 2003, Ric realized that "as a CEO, he is a really good inventor" and since that time has worked closely with business partner Craig Etchegoyen to commercialize his inventions and run the resulting enterprises. This has resulted in the freedom for Ric to follow his interest in invention. Since 2003, Ric has invented many technologies ranging from online document publication to hot-swap-able batteries for laptops to a CO2 emissionsreduction system for cars.
In 2003, Ric realized that "as a CEO, he is a really good inventor" and since that time has worked closely with business partner Craig Etchegoyen to commercialize his inventions and run the resulting enterprises. This has resulted in the freedom for Ric to follow his interest in invention. Since 2003, Ric has invented many technologies ranging from online document publication to hot-swap-able batteries for laptops to a CO2 emissionsreduction system for cars.
Invention Highlights
Like most traditional inventors, Ric has in the past taken entrepreneurial responsibility for his inventions becoming CEO for Uniloc, the company that became the assignee of his first patented invention. In 2002 when reviewing the ten years of running Uniloc he realized that his biggest contribution (and the most fun) had been the first three months of inventing, patenting and prototyping the Uniloc technology.Since that time Ric has focused more and more on pure invention and limited his entrepreneurial involvement to proving a working model and then finding a home for the invention, be it a technology sale or finding a team leader to take the technology and run with it as a stand-alone company.
This new path started in 2003 when he teamed up with young entrepreneur Craig Etchegoyen of Newport Beach, CA with whom he co-founded the US subsidiary of Uniloc called Uniloc USA.
In 2000, Ric invented a method for data compression called Logarex, which uses logarithms to produce compression. While this technology is still in research it is hoped that it will deliver massive advances in compression capability with the audacious goal of fitting a DVD movie on a floppy disk.
Only recently, in mid 2007, Ric also invented a method for adapting mapping technology to use digital publication data. The result now called zkimmer, is a way of producing digital edition of magazines and newspapers that allow users to browse and scan the pages of the publication as if they were scanning and zooming in and out of a map on Google Maps.
Education
Typical of many inventors, Ric has received the bulk of his education outside the school system. Starting with a 10 month trip to Fiji, the US, Alaska, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines at age 12, being exposed to experiences outside the traditional education has been a large factor.Ric never went to college or university, but rather has seeked out ways to self-educate. “It’s a lot more expensive and time consuming to find the best mind on a subject and pay for one on one education, but the pay-offs are immeasurable” says Ric.
Ric reasons that by the time the leading scientist in a field gets published, and that knowledge gets assimilated by the education system that you are always 4-10 years behind the game. The effort to get to the source has been tremendous advantage to Ric. Over the years he has worked with many great minds and people from Brian Bergin, the former CEO of Colgate Palmolive for Europe, to Nobel laureate Nominee professor Peter Rentzepiz of UC Irvine, to a brilliant young entrepreneur Craig Etchegoyen who sold his first company for $20 million at 17.
Background
During Ric's early childhood he worked with his father as a stringer for Australia's National television ABCTV. Over the next decade Ric would work with his father as a sound man on various stories ranging from bush fires to road crashes to visits by the Queen of England.After leaving school Ric started a career in the music and publishing industries. Ric operated high end music computers for musicians who recorded in some of Sydney Australia’s top recording studio’s. During that time he worked with members of bands such as INXS and Gangajang.
He also wrote for computer and music magazines such as Electronic Musician, the Australian Apple Review, and Chorus. He subsequently published his own magazine called Creative Music and Video.
After working in the US, Ric secured the rights to a music software product called One-Step. It was during an upgrade cycle for this software title that Ric came up with the idea of locking a software license to a specific device and the Uniloc technology was born.
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