Rambus seeks ITC probe of Hyundai, files lawsuits in Europe

Rambus seeks ITC probe of Hyundai, files lawsuits in Europe
By Semiconductor Business News
September 12, 2000 (9:25 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000911S0068

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Rambus Inc. on late Monday announced it has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate alleged patent infringements in imported synchronous DRAMs and double data rate (DDR) memories from Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. In doing so, Rambus said it is seeking to stop the sale of those products in the U.S.

In a related move, Rambus also announced it has filed lawsuits in France and Germany against South Korea's Hyundai and U.S.-based Micron Technology Inc. for alleged patent violations in SDRAM and DDR memories. The lawsuits and request for an ITC probe of Hyundai are part of a growing legal fight between Rambus and memory makers over patent claims and attempts to strike new licenses for high-speed SDRAMs technologies.

The Mountain View company said its European suits were filed after negotiations over its intellectual property rights were preempted by U.S. lawsuits filed by Hyundai (see Aug. 30 story) and Micron (see Aug. 29 story).

Rambus said it is seeking to halt the sale, production and use of Hyundai SDRAMs and DDR memories in Europe. In its action against Micron, Rambus said a trial date has been set in Mannheim, Germany, for Feb. 16, 2001.

Rambus claimed that a French court has seized documents and other materials relating to its allegations of patent infringement in Micron SDRAM and DDR SDRAM memories as the court begins its investigation into the case.

Micron, based in Boise, Idaho, has accused Rambus of violating U.S. antitrust laws and unfairly negotiating licensing agreements with memory makers after gaining access to industry standards information during JEDEC meetings. Micron and others DRAM companies are also seeking to invalidate Rambus' SDRAM patent claims in their civil suit cases.