Semiconductor Business News
(01/18/00, 06:41:41 PM EDT)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Rambus Inc. here today announced a lawsuit against Hitachi Ltd. for infringement of patents covering technology for synchronous memory devices and methods of controlling those chips.
The company said it was seeking injunction against Hitachi from manufacturing, using and selling certain memory and microprocessor products in the U.S. that violate Rambus patents. In addition, Rambus said it was seeking punitive damages from the Japanese chip maker.
Amoung the Hitachi products allegedly violating Rambus' patents are: PC100 SDRAMs, PC133 SDRAMs, double data rate (DDR) SDRAMs, synchronous graphics RAMs (SGRAMs), dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), and four microprocessor product lines--the SH-2, SH-3, SH-4 and SH-5 series.
Rambus said it had licensed its technology to Hitachi for memory and logic products supporting its Direct Rambus DRAMs. "However, to date Hitachi has not produced or marketed any such RDRAM-compatible products," complained Geoff Tate, chief executive officer at Rambus.
The Mountain View company said it filed its suit in U.S.District Court in Delaware today after Hitachi failed to respond to its complaints about use of its technology in non-RDRAM-compatible products.
An immediate response from Hitachi was not available after Rambus' suit was announced today. |
