Originally posted by Giklab What, sorry? English isn't my primary language so I may have phrased it wrong. I meant Hoya didn't want to sell SMC (HMC) to Ricoh and Ricoh needed to come up with a new name or even with a whole new coating.
That isn't likely. The patents on the SMC coating application process expired years ago (licensing the application process provided Asahi Optical Co. revenue from every lens maker except Leica for decades) and they had initially prucahsed the SMC coating formula from an American company.
It is far more likely Ricoh / Pentax invented and patented a new application process to multi-coat lenses, branded it HD and hopes to exploit its superior properties and/or lower cost of manufacture by licensing it to others.