Case dismissed in Italy...
Micron Wins Legal Victory
RELATED SYMBOLS: (MU)(RMBS)
BOISE, Idaho, May 25, 2001 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Micron Technology Inc.
scored a legal victory this week after an Italian judge ruled it didn't infringe
on patents held by Rambus Inc.
Micron spokesman Sean Mahoney said a judge in Monza dismissed the case that
involved Micron's manufacturing facility in the city of Avezzano.
The suit sought an injunction against manufacturing until the Boise-based
computer chip maker paid royalties on memory chips which Rambus claimed used its
patented technology.
The judge ruled on Thursday that Micron had not infringed on patents, Mahoney
said.
A similar battle is being waged in the United States between the two companies.
A hearing next week in U.S. District Court has been delayed.
The federal judge in Delaware, who is presiding over the Micron-Rambus dispute,
canceled a May 31 hearing so he could review the decision another federal judge
issued earlier this month in Virginia in a similar case Rambus brought against
German chip maker Infineon Technologies.
The judge in Virginia also dismissed Rambus' allegations of patent infringement.
That case involved a chip design that helps accelerate the speed of video game
consoles and personal computers.
Micron filed a suit against Rambus last August, asserting violations of federal
antitrust laws, and claims non-infringement and non-enforceability of Rambus
patents.
After reviewing the Virginia court ruling, the Delaware court will confer with
the parties to determine what issues, if any, remain to be tried, Mahoney said.
If the judge tosses out all patent-related charges, Micron still has the choice
to pursue the antitrust and fraud charges against Rambus.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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