Broadcom to China: No free WiFi IP for you!

Both Forbes and DigiTimes report that wireless chipmaker Broadcom is taking a tough stance regarding China’s impending June 1 deadline for WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) standards implementation.

This excerpt from the Forbes article sums up Broadcom’s position :

CEO Alan "Lanny" Ross said new Chinese regulations on wireless data communications imperil the intellectual property of foreign suppliers by requiring them to share design information with local Chinese firms.

"We’re not playing their game," Ross said in an interview on Tuesday. "We’re not going to lose our technological edge through the risky disclosure of our IP (intellectual property)."

DigiTimes’ article makes reference to "the world’s leading WLAN devices vendors like Broadcom", but it doesn’t appear that Atheros, GlobespanVirata or Agere Systems have actually gone on record as opposing China’s WAPI strong-arm tactics.