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

To: richard surckla who wrote (53135)	9/12/2000 10:59:57 PM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 93625

NEC becomes latest DRAM maker to sign Rambus patent license By Jack Robertson, Electronic Buyers' News Sep 12, 2000 (7:39 PM) URL: ebnews.com NEC Corp. Tuesday signed a licensing deal with Rambus Inc. authorizing it to use the company's patented synchronous-interface technology for the design and production of SDRAM, double-data-rate SDRAM, and next-generation Direct Rambus DRAM -- making NEC the fourth and largest Japanese chip maker to agree to Rambus' terms in what has become an escalating industry legal battle. It wasn't immediately known if the agreement includes the new DRAM development and marketing joint venture, known as NEC Hitachi Memory Inc., that NEC is planning to launch Jan. 1, 2001, with fellow chip maker Hitachi Ltd. Hitachi signed a similar synchronous-interface licensing pact with Rambus earlier this year which extends only through the end of 2000 -- prior to the launch of the DRAM joint venture with NEC. However, since both partners have signed licensing pacts with Rambus, the joint venture could be a candidate to come to terms with Rambus on the synchronous patents, according to observers. Micron Technology Inc. and Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. have filed suit seeking to invalidate the Rambus patents, which the Mountain View, Calif., company claims cover a range of synchronous interfaces used in memory chips, microprocessors, and core-logic chipsets. Micron and Hyundai are respectively seeking to overturn the patents on the grounds of antitrust violations and prior art. Rambus this week filed patent infringement countersuits againt both companies in Europe and filed a separate petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking an injunction on Hyundai SDRAM and DDR SDRAM imported into the United States. In addition to SDRAM and DDR SDRAM, NEC has obtained a license to Rambus technology for the company's next-generation 1.06-GHz Direct RDRAM. Rambus said the license extends to PC applications as well as consumer products. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. earlier signed a similar deal granting it rights to 1.06-GHz Direct RDRAM development aimed at consumer electronic products. Kanji Sugihara, president of NEC Electron Devices, touted the new agreement. "NEC was quick to recognize the potential of Rambus as a technology partner, and we've achieved significant successes as a result of our close partnership," Sugihara said. NEC will pay a licensing fee and unspecified royalties for both SDRAM and DDR chips and logic controllers with synchronous interfaces. In addition to NEC and Hitachi, Toshiba Corp. and Oki Electric Industry Co. Ltd. also have licensed the Rambus patents.