Rambus Smacks Nvidia with Memory Lawsuit
Date : 11 Jul 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor Network"Graphics and multimedia products require leading-edge memory performance, and as Nvidia advances its product portfolio, it infringes more and more of our patents," said Tom Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel at Rambus. "We are left with no other recourse than litigation to protect and seek fair compensation for the use of our patented inventions."
Pending Litigation
Rambus said it is seeking injunctive relief barring current and future infringements, together with monetary damages. The company also claims to have long attempted to resolve the matter out of court, but without success.
"For more than six years, we have diligently attempted to negotiate a licensing agreement with Nvidia, but our good-faith efforts have been to no avail," Lavelle said. "Nevertheless, we hope to continue discussions with Nvidia to reach a negotiated settlement."
Nvidia said it was only notified by Rambus about the new lawsuit on the day of its filing. "It's now pending litigation, so we can't make any comments, but we will look at the complaint and respond to it accordingly," said Nvidia spokesperson Calisa Cole.
Lavelle said Rambus first filed a patent application for its memory technology in 1990 and proceeded to teach the industry how to apply that technology, subject to nondisclosure agreements. By invitation, Rambus later joined an industry standard-setting organization called the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) that was developing a DRAM standard.
Memory makers such as Hynix Semiconductor, Micron Technology and Nanya Technology later claimed that Rambus improperly used its membership in JEDEC to establish a monopoly over the technology.
Favorable Rulings
Rambus...