Rambus on a Roll, Defeats Nvidia in Court

Posted 01/25/2010 at 10:45am | by Paul Lilly

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in basketball, a shooter sometimes gets into a 'zone,' a mental state where everything's going for them and they just can't miss a shot. This is exactly the place Rambus finds itself in, only in a different kind of court, and a different game altogether. The latest opponent to go down against Rambus is Nvidia, who a judge ruled was guilty of violating three patents belonging to Rambus.

"We are pleased with the initial determination from the ITC finding two patents invalid but disappointed about its ruling on the other three patents," David Shannon, Nvidia's executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. "All five of the patents continue to be subject to re-examination proceedings in the Patent and Trademark Office, in which the Office has consistently found the asserted claims of these patents to be invalid. We will now take the patents before the full commission for a final decision on whether any of these patents are valid, enforceable, and infringed."

While it remains to be seen if the verdict will stick and, if it does, what the patents will be worth, the legal momentum has clearly shifted in Rambus' favor. Less than a week ago, the company came to a $900 million settlement agreement with Samsung, in which Samsung will pay $200 million right away, and the remainder over the course of five years.