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Technology Stocks : Rambus (RMBS) - Eagle or Penguin -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: capt rocky who wrote (36668)	1/19/2000 7:07:00 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 93625

Rambus-Hitachi Patent Suit Jolts Chip Industry Thursday, January 20, 2000 TOKYO (Nikkei)--Rambus Inc. on Tuesday filed a willful patent infringement lawsuit in a Delaware federal court against Hitachi Ltd.'s (6501) use of certain high-speed DRAM technologies. The U.S. firm's move sent shockwaves through the Japanese semiconductor industry. One of the technologies targeted in the suit is DDR (double data rate) interface, a high-speed memory standard employed by many chipmakers around the world. Depending on the suit's outcome, other firms may also have to pay Rambus patent fees. The Direct Rambus technology that Rambus licenses to makers of memory chips is expected to become a global standard. But Direct Rambus chips have generated dissatisfaction due to the large investments required for equipment like high-speed testing devices. As a result, top chipmakers have teamed up to create DRAMs with lower investment costs, devising the DDR interface in 1998. DDR memory is already being mass-produced and is rapidly finding its way into high-end computers, creating competition for the Rambus chips. Hitachi has a contract with Rambus, but progress in DDR has been quickly moving ahead. Some industry analysts see the suit as aimed at dealing a blow to such advances. If DDR technology is formally found to be covered by Rambus patents, analysts say other companies using DDR will be asked to pay patent fees. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Thursday morning edition)