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Sakar acquires Vivitar brand and IP

Consumer electronics maker picks up the brand name and intellectual property from Syntax-Brillian in a move to expand into the midrange digital-camera market.

Dawn Kawamoto Former Staff writer, CNET News
Dawn Kawamoto covered enterprise security and financial news relating to technology for CNET News.
Dawn Kawamoto

Sakar International announced on Monday that it has snapped up the Vivitar brand name and intellectual property from Syntax-Brillian in a move to expand its camera line into the midrange digital-camera market and gain greater visibility.

Sakar, a consumer electronics maker, plans to use the 70-year-old Vivitar brand on digital cameras priced in the midprice range of $70 to $300, stretching its current lineup from the low-range market of $20 to $100.

"Linking ourselves to Vivitar will strengthen our presence on the retail shelf while also enabling retailers to buy more product from a single source," Ralph Sasson, Sakar's chief operating officer, said in a statement that did not disclose terms of the acquisition. "We will now have an even more extensive product line at multiple price points."

Sakar markets a range of consumer electronics ranging from digital cameras and accessories to iPod accessories to digital-music players.

The sale of Vivitar's brand and intellectual property, which comes approximately two years after Syntax-Brillian acquired the camera maker and less than two months after Syntax-Brillian filed for bankruptcy protection, will move Sakar's product offering into a market that competes with the likes of Olympus' point-and-shoot model, Canon's PowerShot SD790, and Nikon's Coolpix S600.