December 22, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SanDisk Corporation, Sony Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation are in the early stages of a plan to collaborate on new content protection technology for flash memory cards, such as SD Cards and various storage devices.
Under the working-title "Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative," the five companies will start preparing for licensing and promotion of high-definition (HD)-capable security for SD cards and embedded memory for use in advanced consumer applications such as tablets and smartphones.
"This technology will open a new door to flash memory applications," said Yasuo Naruke, corporate vice president, Vice President, Memory Division, Semiconductor & Storage Products Company, Toshiba Corporation.
Unique ID technology will be used to provide a high level of content security for flash memory. Copy protection will be based on public key infrastructure. Applications protected with the technologies include HD network download, broadcast content to go, and HD Digital Copy/Managed Copy from Blu-ray Disc media. Devices like Android-based smartphones and tablets, TVs, and Blu-ray products would benefit.
The five companies aim to start licensing the new secure memory technology early next year, and flash/embedded memory products adopting it within 2012.
‘Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative’ is a collaboration of Panasonic, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony and Toshiba to license and promote HD (high-definition)-capable security for SD Cards and embedded memory for use in advanced consumer applications such as tablets and smartphones. For the details, please visit http://nextgenerationsecurememory.com/.