Infineon Fights Back, Charges Rambus Violated Patents
Oct. 06, 2000 (Electronic Buyers News - CMP via COMTEX) -- Already embroiled
in a patent lawsuit with Rambus Inc., Infineon Technologies AG last week fired off a countersuit charging that the design firm's Direct Rambus DRAM interface
infringes Infineon technology.
In a suit filed in federal court in Richmond, Va., the German chip maker, based
in Munich, claimed that Rambus, Mountain View, Calif., used patents in a
latch-up protection circuit for RDRAM ICs that it then licensed to a variety of
DRAM manufacturers. Infineon said that despite notifying Rambus that sharing the
technology with other chip makers violated its patents, the company "continues
to willfully" distribute the data.
Separately, the International Trade Commission agreed to investigate a petition
filed by Rambus seeking to block Hyundai MicroElectronics from importing SDRAM
into the United States on grounds of patent infringement. Hyundai and Rambus are
suing each other in federal court in San Jose, which has assigned the case to a
mediator. Mediation is slated for early next year.
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