The Sound Card That Beat Sound Blaster in Court and Died Anyway

A footstep landed behind the player and slightly to the left, and a pair of cheap headphones fooled a part of the brain that does not usually get fooled. That was A3D, built from NASA-funded research, and it beat Creative Labs on merit. On December 10, 1999, Aureal Semiconductor won its patent trial against Creative. Four months later it filed for Chapter 11. Here is what that verdict actually said, and why winning did not stop the bills. SOURCES Creative Technology press release, Dec 10, 1999 (jury verdict, patent upheld, appeal announced): https://sg.creative.com/corporate/inv... Creative Technology press release, Sept 22, 2000 (asset sale terms, $28M cash + shares): https://sg.creative.com/corporate/pre... The Register, "Aureal close to collapse – execs out on their ears," Mar 27, 2000 (Q4 numbers, litigation costs): https://www.theregister.com/2000/03/2... GameSpot, "Aureal is Bankrupt," Apr 26, 2000: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/aur... NASA Spinoff 1998, "Real World Audio" (Crystal River Engineering / Convolvotron origin): https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20020... DOS Days, "3D Audio Games" (A3D/EAX game support catalogue): https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/3dau...