Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Non-Tech : The Critical Investing Workshop -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Voltaire who wrote (34717)	3/15/2001 8:31:41 AM
From: bonnuss_in_austin	Respond to of 35685

Rambus Ruling Limits Scope of Patents -- links: electronicnews.com ___________________________________ Rambus Ruling Limits Scope of Patents By Steven Fyffe, Electronic News Mar 14, 2001 --- A judge has made a pre-trial ruling limiting the scope of Rambus Inc.’s patents in the U.S. court case against Infineon Technologies AG, according to industry sources close to the case. This afternoon’s ruling by judge Robert E Payne, who is hearing the case in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., could kill Rambus’ (nasdaq: RMBS) royalty claims on SDRAM and double data rate (DDR) memory, sources said. In the ruling, the judge sided with an expert witness from Infineon (nyse: IFX), sources said. “(The Markman) testimony was that the Rambus patent is a multiplex bus, and that we don’t use the multiplex bus in our SDRAM or DDR products,” the source said. “It means that because we don’t use the multiplex bus they use in their patents…we are not in violation of their patents.” Micron Technology Inc. and Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. use the same bus architecture as Infineon. A summary judgement that would end the trial and throw out Rambus’ royalty claims to SDRAM and DDR could be made as soon as Thursday morning (March 15) at 7a.m. Pacific Standard Time, when the judge is scheduled to hold a hearing to set the trial dates. The judge has also agreed to allow crime-fraud allegations to be heard at the trial, according to an article in The Register. The judge issued the following statement on March 7, they reported today. “Attorney-client privilege has been forfeited under the crime-fraud exception as to certain topics, and therefore the Defendants may conduct depositions of Messrs Diepenbrock, Vincent, Crisp, Mitchell and Tate respecting the legal advice provided about disclosures of patents and patent applications to JEDEC by Rambus Inc, the disclosure policy of JEDEC and about the efforts by Rambus, Inc. to broaden its patents to cover matters pertaining to the JEDEC standards.” If individuals are convicted of fraud, it could mean more than a financial slap on the wrist, sources said. “This means that people could go to jail. That’s what this means,” the source said. __________________________________ Electronic News Online web site link: electronicnews.com 'b-i-a' ###