Rambus’ Lawsuit Against Infineon May Settle Licensing Issue,
Analysts Say
Alex Romanelli and Steven Fyffe
Aug 16, 2000 --- Rambus Inc.’s latest lawsuit against Infineon could be the
final showdown for the litigious IP house, according to analysts.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company filed a patent infringement lawsuit
against the Munich, Germany-based memory maker earlier this month. The
legal action is the latest in a series of attempts by Rambus to lay claim to the
rights of key elements of memory technology, including synchronous DRAM
(SDRAM) and double data rate (DDR). It follows similar actions against
Toshiba, Hitachi and OKI Semiconductors.
“I think this will finally settle the issue,” said Sherry Garber, senior vice
president of Semico Research Corp., Phoenix, Ariz.
Infineon is the biggest fish Rambus has tried to fry so far. It is currently the
fifth biggest DRAM maker in the world.
The entire DRAM industry is watching the case closely, and an informal
alliance of memory makers will give behind-the-scenes support to Infineon,
industry sources said. Other DRAM vendors would be reluctant to formally
attach themselves to the Rambus-Infineon lawsuit, said Bert McComas,
founder and principal analyst at InQuest Market Research.
“This is an emotional issue, as much as anything, and there’s an awful lot at
stake for the entire industry,” Garber said. “They just don’t want to pay
royalties to someone they don’t think deserves it. I think it will be an
interesting fight, and it will be a fight.”
The fight could extend to Infineon’s customers, which include major
automotive and telecommunications companies, said Steve Cullen, principal
analyst at Cahners In-Stat Group. “Other people could find themselves in a
similar situation (to Hitachi). Infineon’s customers could be at risk. If they
find themselves in the same situation (as Hitachi), it could effect their ability
to get new customers.”
Infineon said it intends to “defend itself vigorously”, while Rambus said it has
resumed negotiations with Infineon.
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