Friday, January 6, 2012

Activist Starboard launches attack on Tessera

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tessera Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSRA) (the "Company") announced it has received a letter from Starboard Value and Opportunity Master Fund Ltd and its affiliates and director nominees (together "Starboard").

In the letter Starboard stated it holds less than 1.3% of the shares outstanding and intends to nominate candidates to fill half of the positions on the Company's Board of Directors. According to the letter, Starboard holds 622,916 shares of the Company, 621,916 of which it purchased in December 2011, and intends to nominate Messrs. Maury Austin, Peter A. Feld and Jeffery S. McCreary for election at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Tessera Technologies, Inc. According to public filings, Starboard owns approximately 9.9% of MIPS Technologies, Inc., where Mr. Austin is the former CFO and Mr. McCreary is a board member.

The Company issued the following statement:

"The Board of Directors of the Company is single-mindedly focused on enhancing value for all stockholders. Since installing Bob Young as CEO a little more than six months ago, the Board has taken decisive steps to chart a new path for the Company that will capitalize on the significant growth opportunities that the Company uniquely enjoys. Our Micro-electronics business continues to generate strong cash flow that we are prudently re-investing in new packaging solutions and in patented technology in adjacent and other vertical markets. Our Digital Optics business is now pursuing a large, transformational market opportunity that will produce measurable results in the next twelve months, exploiting technology that is proven and disruptive, with a clear path to commercialization. The Company has the right Board and management team in place to execute on these opportunities and to deliver value for the Company's stockholders.

We welcome an open and active dialogue with our stockholders. We regret that Starboard did not see fit to engage in dialogue with us prior to delivering its letter, but we look forward to the opportunity to engage in discussions with Starboard and all of our stockholders in the coming weeks. We know our stockholders need to understand the strategic plan and the concrete steps the Company is taking to execute on it. We are confident that as our stockholders understand the plan and the pace on which we are moving to realize it, our stockholders will be as excited about the Company's prospects as we are."