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

To: pompsander who wrote (44494)	6/16/2000 12:55:00 AM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93625

Toshiba DDR Dramurai domino falls to Rambus By: Mike Magee Posted: 16/06/2000 at 05:37 GMT The Register Anyone old enough to remember the fab TV footage from the 70s when a new type of fever gripped the Japanese, and we saw gazillions of DIMM size dominoes falling all in a row? Because, in news that has a great deal of relevance for the PC industry, Toshiba last night became the biggest memory player to bite the Rambus bullet and to license SDRAM (synchronous memory) and DDR (double data rate) memory from the Mountain View intellectual property machine. Under the terms of the agreement, Toshiba will license high speed DDR and SDRAM memory interfaces invented by Rambus, and will pay through the nose for the privilege of so-doing. A press release from Rambus said: "The royalty rates are greater than the RDRAM compatible rates...and include royalties for SDRAM and for controllers that directly interface with SDRAM, as well as a license (sic) fee for the entire agreement." It will also carry on paying Rambus Royale. Didn't think that Rambus had the rights to such things? Cast your mind back to stories we ran earlier this year, particularly a court case still pending between Hitachi and Rambus. Rambus claims that DDR memory that is being produced or will be produced by Hitachi infringe its patents. Hitachi counterclaims that Rambus is infringing the Sherman anti-trust case. Sources said that Rambus wants triple damages from companies that infringe its DDR and SDRAM patents. The Dramurai, now that Toshiba has crumbled, would seem to be in some disarray. NEC wants to buy Hitachi's DRAM outfit, but is being stymied by the litigation that continues. We can only presume Toshiba staff have either examined Rambus patents and think that the IP company is right in its belief, or that it wants to avoid a legal action where it may be forced to pay even more for the privilege of making synchronous memories... ©