FYI...
This is a significant lawsuit that involves patent infringement on patents held by AMD and then passed on to Vantis. It involves all 5K,7K, and 9K Altera products shipped. Altera has appealed, but the original judgement was overturned on a point of law, so it is unlikely that the judges will reverse this decision. The next avenue for Altera would be the Supreme Court, but I don't believe that the Supreme Court is in the habit of hearing patent cases. I could be wrong, but since they select the cases they want to hear, there would have to be an overwhelming reason to hear this case.
So, barring a sequence of legal miracles, Altera is on the hook for damages on products that were the core of their revenue over the last 5 years. I don't like to guess at damages, but $500M plus is possible. Don't know about the rest of you, but once official word of this hits the street, well you can figure it out. |
