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

To: Zeev Hed who wrote (41335)	5/4/2000 11:37:00 AM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 93625

Hitachi defends itself, asking ITC to include other DRAM suppliers in Rambus case By Jack Robertson Semiconductor Business News (05/04/00, 08:50:57 AM EDT) WASHINGTON -- Hitachi Ltd. has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to add Fujitsu, Hyundai, NEC, Samsung, and Toshiba to a patent infringement case filed by Rambus Inc. (see March 23 story). Hitachi said bringing the other synchronous DRAM suppliers into the ITC investigation "would facilitate a resolution on an industry-wide basis." The Japanese company argued that the five foreign memory suppliers had provided the same SDRAM chips for Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast electronic player that Rambus accuses Hitachi of infringing upon its patents. Therefore, Hitachi said, these additional SDRAM companies should be included in any investigation of the Rambus allegations. In fact, Hitachi claimed it doesn't supply SDRAMs for the Sega Dreamcast console. A SDRAM chip identified by Rambus in its original complaint to the ITC actually has origin markings of "Made in Korea" and was made by LG Semicon in the second week of 1999, according to Hitachi. The LG chip operation has since been acquired by Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. Hitachi reiterated that the SDRAM technology it uses was developed in compliance with an industry open standard from the Joint Electron Devices Council (JEDEC). The firm said the other five memory suppliers produced their SDRAMs in accordance with the same JEDEC standard. Hitachi asserted that the addition of the other DRAM producers in the ITC case would support its claim that the memory chips use a nonproprietary JEDEC standard and cannot infringe any patents. Sources said until now the almost all of the chip makers in industry have quietly supported Hitachi in its battle against the Rambus patent claims. Hitachi's request to the ITC to bring them into the case would bring them into the public spotlight in the Rambus case. Hitachi didn't ask that Micron Technology Inc. or Infineon Technologies AG be added to the ITC case -- presumably because these firms didn't supply SDRAMs for the Sega Dreancast console. Rambus also charged that Sega Dreamcast machines violated its patents by using the SDRAM chips, as well as the Hitachi SH microprocessor. The five companies that Hitachi seeks to add to the ITC case couldn't be reached immediately for comment.