Thomson SA was a product of the nationalization efforts of France that combined Mostek, Silec, Eurotechnique, EFCIS, and SESCOSEM. In order to gain rights to the Intelx86 microprocessor, Thomson purchased Mostek from United Technologies Corporation. Thomson went on to open several lawsuits around Mostek's intellectual property portfolio and collected up to $430 million in royalties. With Thomson's roots going back to GE (General Electric), it is not surprising that GE sold its consumer electronics division, including RCA; ProScan; and GE-branded electronics, to them in 1987 in exchange for Thomson's medical businesses. That same year, the semiconductor division of Thomson SA merged with SGS Microelecttronica to become STMicroelectronics.
