Sorry if this has already been asked and addressed. But what if SonicBlue folds? I'm not thinking they would, but their stock was trading at $2.42 on the US exchange. And it took close to a10% hit today?

Will the original Empeg guys go back to fending for themselves? Not just asking about releases and upgrades, but also what happens to all the "intellectual" and "physical" property?

Like I say in the title - God forbid, but I was a little worried seeing the stock slide continually since the Empeg buyout (no connection inferred, just that's when I started watching it)...

you know, i have been thinking a LOT about this too. Anyoen on teh team care to offer insight?

I don't think anyone is allowed to discuss issues related to our stock performance. There are laws about that, not to mention company policies.

Rob

Interesting question.

I'm sure there's a clause in the contracts stating what happens to the Empeg IP (software/hardware designs) in such an event. But that's probably proprietary information they can't give out.

If, for some reason, development on the current software tree couldn't continue, I'd bet they'd make the player code public. But even that's not likely because the empeg guys keep talking about how the codebase is designed for multiple products, and there's a lot of future plans for their code. Even if SonicBlue folded, the code would probably get rolled into something else down the road, something for another company altogether. Of course, this is just idle speculation.

As far as tech support for the current prodcuts goes, I'm sure this BBS wouldn't go away. And for hardware trouble, you can always phone up Hugo.

___________
Tony Fabris

FYI, it's not a question of your stock performance, it'd be a question of the acquisition terms of Empeg,Inc. Now, those might be clouded in secrecy as well, but at least they don't fall under SEC jurisdiction.

D

Empeg Ltd is owned entirely by SONICblue Inc, and is substantially integrated into the Rio operating division.

It's pretty much as straight forward as that.

Rob

More idle speculation below.

The SonicBlue stock price doesn't directly reflect whether the company will go out of business. Certainly, there have been no warnings about SonicBlue's continuing business viability (versus Metricom, for example, which telegraphed their chapter 11 bankruptcy filing months before it actually happened).

The main effect, at least right now, of the drop in stock price would be its effect on employee morale, perhaps increasing turnover. Lowered stock prices also tends to make SonicBlue less likely to buy out other companies and correspondingly more likely to get bought out themselves.

In the event that SonicBlue's bottom-line numbers started getting in deep trouble, you'd probably start expecting to see announcements about returning to their "core business" or similar cover speak to justify jettisoning unprofitable products or divisions of the company. The empeg guys are, in my estimation, the least likely to be dumped as they're tied into arguably the best brand that SonicBlue has: the Rio line of audio products.

In short, don't worry about it right now. If things truly go wrong at SonicBlue, you can bet you'll be hearing about it here.

I just hope that Hugo got cash and not stock for empeg Ltd.!

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (96GB Smoke)

I just hope that Hugo got cash and not stock for empeg Ltd.!

Well.... he IS driving an Acura NSX these days, and I think he still has the Miata as well....

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Yes, he's got both, still. And the Beatle for driving to work in.


Roger - not necessarily speaking for empeg

And the Beatle for driving to work in.

What, you mean he comes to work in a Lennon?

pca




Opinions expressed in this email may contain up to 42% water by weight, and are mine. All mine.

No, the Ringo. It's not quite as flashy a model.

Murray 06000047
I don't think, therefore I am not.