when did the first usb flash drive appear on the retail market
USB flash drive M-Systems, an Israeli company later acquired by SanDisk, filed the first patent for a USB flash drive in April 1999, known as a DiskOnKey.[1][6] Later in 1999, IBM filed an invention disclosure by one of its employees.[1] Flash drives were sold initially by Trek 2000 International, a company in Singapore, which began selling in early 2000. IBM became the first to sell USB flash drives in the United States in 2000.[1] The initial storage capacity of a flash drive was 8Â MB.[6] Another version of the flash drive, described as a pen drive, was also developed. Pua Khein-Seng from Malaysia has been credited with this invention.[7] Patent disputes have arisen over the years, with competing companies including Singaporean company Trek Technology and Chinese company Netac Technology, attempting to enforce their patents.[8] Trek won a suit in Singapore,[9][10] but has lost battles in other countries.[11] Netac Technology has brought lawsuits against PNY Technologies,[12] Lenovo,[13] aigo,[14] Sony,[15][16][17] and Taiwan's Acer and Tai Guen Enterprise Co.[17]