Nathan, Would they be considered direct competitors based on the description below. Arm seems to be going after TPL even though TPL has dropped the case against them?

How would you compare and contrast these 2 companies? Thanks for your opinion. 

About ARMARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from mobile, home and enterprise solutions to embedded and emerging applications. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, graphics processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at .ARM, RealView, PrimeCell, Thumb, AMBA and ARM Powered are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM1156T2-S, ARM11 and AXI are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; ARM Germany GmbH; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Norway, AS. Compare to PatriotAbout the Patent Portfolio
MMP patent portfolio contains intellectual property that became jointly owned by publicly held Patriot Scientific Corporation and Technology Partners Ltd. (TPL). Moore Microprocessor Patent and MMP are trademarks of TPL. Both TPL and Patriot assert that their jointly owned patents have long been essential to the design of advanced microprocessors, digital signal processors, embedded processors and system-on-chip devices. Global sales of end products deploying chips using technologies protected by the jointly owned patents are estimated to be greater than $200 billion annually. This portfolio has been successfully licensed to Intel, AMD, HP, Casio, and Fujitsu as well as Sony, Seiko-Epson, Nikon, Pentex, Olympus and Kenwood. These agreements have generated in excess of $100 million in revenues for Patriot and its licensing joint venture partner, as of September 30, 2006.Patriot Scientific's intellectual property portfolio originated through its years of developing hybrid RISC/Stack processor technologies that tackle the complex and varied processing requirements of modern low power, high performance SOCs.

Historically, the company's development of hybrid RISC-stack technology allowed SoC designers to create silicon systems that are optimized to their application, yet flexible enough to adapt as products evolve. The cores' unique architecture delivered the optimal balance of speed, area, power consumption, and flexibility--resulting in a smaller, lower power, less expensive SoC that can get to market quicker, and thus have a longer market life.

The company's legacy product brands (below) are no longer in production, as today, Patriot Scientific is focused on licensing its patent portfolio and intends on applying its resources towards investments in innovative technologies and solutions that create sustainable value to our customers and shareholders.

• IGNITE I™ Core Family
Based on a high performance hybrid RISC/Stack 32-bit architecture, IGNITE cores have the computing power to meet the needs of demanding SoC tasks.

• IGNITE II™ Core Family
IGNITE 2 cores are ultra small and ultra low power, making them ideal for portable and battery operated applications, and for cost sensitive consumer devices.

• INFLAME I™ Processors
The INFLAME processor is an advanced array of processors, which directly benefits from the IGNITE core's ability to support adaptive computing. This processor technology is targeted toward consumer multimedia applications, enabling conventional and adaptive processing within a single unified architecture.