Wave Acquired Two U.S. Storage Security Patents

Wave Systems Corp., provider of management software for self-encrypting hard drives, has acquired two U.S. patents pertaining to security subsystems for storage devices. The patents describe certain elements of core technology underlying self-encrypting hard drives (SEDs). The purchase price was $1.1 million in cash.

These patents (U.S. patents #7,036,020 and #7,426,747) were acquired by Wave from a company owned by Robert Thibadeau, Ph.D., a noted computer security expert who joined Wave in February 2010 as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist. The patents were issued in 2006 and 2008 and are valid until 2021.

"These patents cover certain core specifications of self-encrypting hard drives, making them an important addition to our existing IP portfolio," said Steven Sprague, CEO & President of Wave. "We believe that these assets can help to strengthen our position in the emerging hardware security market and that it furthers Wave’s strategic and commercial interest to have these as part of our IP portfolio."