Melco Holdings
Melco Holdings is a Japanese family-owned electronics group whose best-known operating brand is Buffalo.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Melco Holdings Inc. is a Japanese family business associated with computer peripherals, memory products, networking equipment, storage devices, and related technical services. The business was founded by Makoto Maki in 1975, while the holding company was incorporated in 1986. Its name is derived from “Maki Engineering Laboratory Company,” reflecting the group’s engineering origins. The group’s most recognizable brand is Buffalo Inc., a subsidiary that developed from an audio-equipment business into a computer-peripheral manufacturer. Buffalo entered the computer market in 1981 with an EEPROM writer and subsequently became associated with consumer and small-business networking and storage products. Its product families have included AirStation residential gateways, wireless LAN equipment, network-attached storage, external hard drives, USB flash drives, memory modules, computer drives, and other PC accessories. Buffalo has also operated internationally, including through a presence in Austin, Texas. Melco’s broader subsidiary portfolio has covered a wide range of personal-computer and digital-infrastructure components. The businesses described in reference material include random-access memory, Flash memory, USB products, CD-ROM and DVD-RW drives, hard disk drives, local-area-network products, printer buffers, liquid-crystal displays, Windows accelerators, PC components, and CPU accelerators. A subsidiary also provides corporate and technical services in Japan, including internet setup, computer-terminal installation, computer education, and maintenance. Another subsidiary markets the Kuroutoshikou line of PC components. The group has been notable for introducing or shipping products in several generations of networking and storage technology. Its reported milestones include an early wireless router in 1999, Draft 802.11g products in 2002, a network-attached-storage appliance in 2003, a RAID NAS product in 2005, Draft 802.11n products in 2006, USB 3.0 storage in 2009, and early demonstrations and shipments of Draft 802.11ac Wi-Fi equipment in 2012. It also developed hybrid Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 storage equipment and direct-attached storage products incorporating memory-buffer technology. Melco is therefore best understood as a Japanese electronics group and house of technology brands rather than as a single consumer-facing product label. Buffalo provides most of the group’s public-facing identity, while the wider organization has supported component manufacturing, storage, networking, computer accessories, and technical services. The available reference material does not establish a complete current corporate structure, detailed financial profile, or a full list of present-day markets and executives.
History
Melco began in Japan in 1975 as a family business founded by Makoto Maki. The name reflects the company’s engineering identity: it is derived from “Maki Engineering Laboratory Company.” The corporate holding entity, Melco Holdings Inc., was incorporated in 1986. From its early engineering base, the group developed activities across computer hardware, memory, storage, networking, and technical services. A central part of Melco’s history is the development of Buffalo. Buffalo was initially an audio-equipment manufacturer, but it entered the computer-peripheral market in 1981 with an EEPROM writer. The Buffalo name was associated with one of the company’s early products, a printer buffer, and also with the American bison. Over time, Buffalo became the group’s most recognizable brand and expanded into wireless networking, storage, memory, and PC accessories. Melco subsidiaries have been involved in the manufacture or sale of random-access memory, Flash memory, USB products, optical computer drives, hard disk drives, local-area-network equipment, printer buffers, liquid-crystal displays, Windows accelerators, PC components, and CPU accelerators. The group has also provided business-to-business services in Japan, including internet installation, computer-terminal setup, computer education, and computer maintenance. The Kuroutoshikou line represents another subsidiary-based PC-component business. The group’s reported technology milestones emphasize networking and storage. Melco or Buffalo introduced an early wireless router in January 1999 and shipped Draft 802.11g Wi-Fi products in December 2002. In November 2003 it reported an early NAS appliance, followed by a RAID NAS appliance in January 2005. Draft 802.11n products followed in 2006. The company later introduced USB 3.0 storage, demonstrated Draft 802.11ac technology at CES, shipped Draft 802.11ac products, and developed a Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 hybrid device. These milestones place the group within the transition from standalone PC accessories toward networked home and office storage. Melco’s history also includes a significant patent dispute involving Buffalo and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The litigation concerned wireless networking technology and a CSIRO patent related to elements of 802.11a/g technology. Proceedings included a 2007 Texas injunction affecting shipments and a 2008 Federal Circuit decision remanding the case for further consideration. The available reference material does not provide a final commercial or financial settlement. Today, Melco Holdings is best described as a Japanese electronics group whose identity is closely connected with Buffalo. Its historical scope spans components, storage, networking, computer accessories, and technical services. Public reference material supplied for this entry does not provide enough information to document current leadership, ownership, financial performance, or a definitive complete list of active subsidiaries.
- 2012
Draft 802.11ac networking
[1]Melco demonstrated Draft 802.11ac technology at CES and later shipped Draft 802.11ac Wi-Fi products.
- 2009
USB 3.0 storage
[1]The group reported an early USB 3.0 storage product.
- 2005
RAID NAS product
[1]Melco reported an early RAID network-attached-storage appliance.
- 2003
NAS appliance introduced
[1]The group reported an early network-attached-storage appliance.
- 1999
Early wireless router
[1]Melco reported an early wireless-router product.
- 1986
Holding company incorporated
[1]Melco Holdings Inc. was incorporated as the group’s holding company.
- 1981
Buffalo enters computer peripherals
[1]Buffalo moved beyond its original audio-equipment activities and entered the computer-peripheral market with an EEPROM writer.
- 1975
Melco founded
[1]Makoto Maki founded the Japanese family business that later became associated with Melco Holdings.
Products and positioning
Engineering-led Japanese electronics group focused on computer peripherals, networking, storage, memory, PC components, and related technical services. Its consumer-facing positioning is most strongly represented by Buffalo products for home, office, and small-business connectivity and storage.
Network storage · 2003
Buffalo network-attached storage
Buffalo’s NAS range represents Melco’s move from standalone computer accessories toward connected storage for homes, offices, and small businesses. The historical portfolio included standard NAS appliances and RAID-based systems. These products were designed to make files and other digital data available over a local network, with RAID models emphasizing storage redundancy and availability.
Wireless networking
AirStation
AirStation is Buffalo’s residential-gateway and wireless-networking family. It has been associated with home routers and related Wi-Fi equipment, including products supporting successive generations of IEEE wireless standards. The line formed one of Buffalo’s principal consumer-facing offerings and helped establish the group’s identity in home connectivity.
Computer memory
Memory products
Melco subsidiaries have manufactured or sold random-access memory, Flash memory, and memory modules in formats including DIMM and SO-DIMM. These products served personal-computer and peripheral markets and formed part of the group’s broader component portfolio alongside USB storage and other PC hardware.
Data storage
External hard drives and USB storage
The group’s storage portfolio has included external hard drives, USB flash drives, and later USB 3.0 storage products. The range addressed portable and desktop data storage, complementing Buffalo’s NAS business. Reference material also identifies a hybrid device combining Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connectivity.
PC components
Kuroutoshikou
Kuroutoshikou is a subsidiary-associated line of PC components. The reference material identifies it as part of Melco’s component activities, but does not provide a complete product catalogue, launch history, or current status for the line.
Brand decisions
2007
Responding to the CSIRO wireless-patent injunctionOtherBackground
Buffalo faced an injunction in a United States federal court that restricted shipment of additional wireless products during a patent and licensing dispute with CSIRO.
Action taken
The company pursued a licensing resolution and challenged the legal basis of the adverse ruling.
Aftermath
In 2008, the Federal Circuit ruled in Buffalo’s favor on the existing judgment and returned the case to the district court because the summary-judgment record was insufficient on obviousness. The supplied material does not establish the final outcome.
Recent events
- 2008
Federal Circuit sends Buffalo patent case back for further proceedings[1]
Lawsuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in Buffalo’s favor on the existing judgment and remanded the dispute to the district court, finding that the summary judgment record was insufficient on the question of whether the patent claims were obvious.
- 2007
Texas court injunction temporarily restricts Buffalo wireless shipments[1]
Lawsuit · Regulation
A federal court in Texas issued an injunction that prevented additional wireless products from shipping while Buffalo and CSIRO pursued a licensing arrangement related to IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g technology.
- 2006
CSIRO litigation over wireless LAN patent reaches Buffalo[1]
Lawsuit
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation won litigation involving Buffalo over alleged use of technology covered by a CSIRO wireless LAN patent. The dispute concerned royalties for WLAN products and affected Buffalo’s ability to ship certain products.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/melco-holdings · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled