Posted on Wednesday, January 27 2010 @ 16:18 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
NVIDIA general counsel David Shannon stated the graphics chip maker will not negotiate with Rambus after losing a US trade agency decision that it violated three Rambus-owned patents. Shannon explained Rambus and NVIDIA talked for eight years without reaching an agreement, and added it's not realistic to think that an agreement will be made any time soon. Additionally, he also stated that the case should not cause any interruption in the company's business.
Judge Theodore Essex with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington said Nvidia infringed three Rambus patents, while two others are invalid. His finding is subject to review by the six-member commission and, if upheld, could lead to a ban on imports of Nvidia chips and products that use them, including some computers made by Hewlett-Packard Co. Shannon said it won’t reach that point.
“Our customers will never have their businesses interrupted,” Shannon said. “Our position is there will be no exclusion order.”
Nvidia has several options to prevent any order banning imports, he said. If the commission sides with Rambus, Nvidia can appeal to a court that specializes in patent law. Nvidia is receiving “no pressure” from customers to settle the case, Shannon said.
More info
at BusinessWeek.
