"Was the first generation MOS 6502 developed based on the Motorola 6800? Damn it! Then isn't this just blatant plagiarism?"
Under Ethan's questioning, Chuck Peddle explained the situation MOS Technology faced.
It turned out that after leaving Motorola, a group of engineers immediately began working on cheap chips. But designing chips wasn't so simple. Every morning, after getting to the office, they would spread the schematics across their desks, light a cigarette, sip coffee, and stare at a blank sheet of paper.
They hesitated to put pen to paper. It was that they didn't know how to draw.
Because they had already developed the Motorola 6800! Once an invention has been tested by the market and proven reliable, asking the same people to rethink everything from scratch is like asking them to kill their own creation.
After struggling for a long time, they finally came up with some innovations and designed a CPU called the MOS 6501.
And what was its "innovation"? It fixed a few bugs from the Motorola 6800.
In fact, if you opened up a computer with a Motorola 6800, removed the chip, and soldered in a MOS 6501, the machine would still run normally—only this time with better performance!
When this fact came to light, even Chuck Peddle were surprised. Because they realized this was basically plagiarism.
It was like copying themselves. Not knowing how to handle the situation, they voluntarily informed Motorola about the MOS 6501.
And then—Motorola sued.
Motorola claimed MOS had infringed on its patents, demanding that MOS cease production and pay damages.
Since MOS was only a small company founded in 1969, they had no choice but to kneel and settle out of court. They abandoned the MOS 6501 and paid Motorola $200,000 in compensation.
Because MOS had voluntarily reported the matter, and since most of its engineers had originally come from Motorola, Motorola accepted the apology and moved on.
But Chuck Peddle and his team, unwilling to abandon their dream, went back to the drawing board and developed a new chip—the MOS 6502.
"So… is the MOS 6502 infringing or not?"
Chuck Peddle's explanation made Ethan Jones' teeth ache. He never imagined that MOS chips were cheap mainly because the R&D costs were so low.
What the hell kind of trick was this? On the other end of the phone, Chuck Peddle gave a helpless smile:
"Ethan, all I can tell you is this: the MOS 6502 and the Motorola 6800 are not compatible. And the MOS 6502 uses a newer manufacturing process."
"Ah, I see."
Ethan finally understood. The architecture of the MOS 6502 probably wasn't all that different from the Motorola 6800.
And that was something Chuck Peddle might never be able to solve.
After all, people's thinking has its structure. When someone firmly believes their direction is correct, only hitting a wall will make them turn back.
Thinking about the unclear relationship between the mos 6502 and Motorola made Ethan uneasy.
When there are legal problems with right in front of you. What exactly is the shiny exterior you see?
But he did know one thing: before buying the license, he needed answers to the most important questions.
"So, Mr. Peddle, have you consulted a lawyer?"
This question made Chuck sigh. "Ethan, our company has legal counsel. They told me that if Motorola really wanted to sue us again, we might still be found guilty of infringement."
"Is there a solution?"
"We're working on it."
"Then I want to know—since you don't hold the patent, how dare you sell your product? And as far as I know, you're planning to attend the San Francisco Electronics Show in September?"
"Uh… Since you trust us so much, I'll tell you directly. That's only a tentative plan. If problems arise, we simply won't go. As for selling… well, let me put it this way: if someone buys, we'll produce. If no one buys, we won't. That way, if Motorola sues us again, we can keep losses to a minimum. At the same time, if we manage to sell a large number of chips at once, then at least we'll have made our mark on the market. That's all we can do."
After a few more exchanges, Ethan hung up the phone. Leaning against the table, he thought it over carefully and began to feel that something was off.
Was the MOS 6502 actually an infringing product? Then how had it become such a hit in his previous life?
Did they reach another settlement with Motorola? Or did they eventually find a solution?
Ethan couldn't recall anything related to this. At the same time, he began to doubt whether Chuck Peddle was deceiving him.
Maybe they simply didn't want to grant a license, so they claimed there were legal problems?
That evening, when he checked with the fat man, the boy's first reaction was surprise. His second reaction was to start making calls on Ethan's behalf.
After several phone calls—including a few to his uncle—Ethan finally got the truth.
Chuck and the friends hadn't lied. Motorola really had sued them, demanding one million dollars in damages, and they had eventually settled for two hundred thousand.
"So I was wrong. This matter really is troublesome…"
Woz's words left Ethan with a headache. But the one with an even bigger headache was Steve Jobs.
After dinner, when Woz headed into the garage, Jobs pulled Ethan aside and asked nervously:
"Will this legal issue affect computer sales?"
Ethan said, "Normal use definitely won't have any impact, but when it comes to other matters… that's hard to say.
Let me give you an analogy. Suppose you buy a batch of 6502 chips now and install them in computers for sale. Motorola can't stop that. Even if, during this process, Motorola sues MOS, wins the case, and forces them to halt 6502 production, the chips already on the market can't be recalled.
But…" He paused. "What happens when the 6502s run out? What chip will you use then? There are simply no equally cheap alternatives available."
"Oh, shit!" Steve Jobs cursed. He angrily kicked a chair. clattering noise filled the garage wooden chair collided with the old floor.
Then… without another word, Jobs stormed out of the house, hopped on his motorcycle, and sped off. Listening to the sudden roar of the engine fading away, Ethan sighed.
Although his memories told him that the MOS 6502 would survive until 2023—and that the patent issues would eventually be resolved—he had no idea how or by what means that outcome was achieved.
Sure, he could buy the license now, relying on his memories. But who could guarantee that the flap of his butterfly wings wouldn't derail the 6502's legendary future?
What if, because of his intervention, MOS failed to resolve the patent dispute this time? If that happened, buying the license would be no different than tearing open his pants and inviting someone to crap in his lap.
No matter how he looked at it, that idea seemed insane.
"Fuck! Why is my tran different from everyone else's? Can't I just pick up some easy money?"
Note:
① The 6501, the predecessor of the 6502, really was a knockoff—something Motorola confirmed. And Motorola even did something clever: since the 6501 was an infringing copy that fixed bugs in the 6800, after winning the lawsuit, Motorola simply took those fixes and patched the 6800 itself.
② In truth, if MOS hadn't told Motorola about the 6501 and hadn't shown it publicly, they wouldn't have had to pay damages. But the engineers went ahead anyway—why, no one knows.
③ The 6502 did face copyright issues. Synertek, which later acquired the production rights, acknowledged this. Their contract with MOS included a clause: if Motorola pursued legal action, Synertek would immediately stop producing the 6502.