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Semiconductor Processing & Devices
In the semiconductor field, the Intellectual Property Group has earned a reputation as the practice to turn to in "bet the company" IP litigation—where the stakes are high and an organization’s very existence rests on the outcome.
For example, our team represented small start-up Cyrix in Cyrix v. Intel, where Cyrix prevailed in a series of five lawsuits in which Intel sought to stop Cyrix from selling its family of Intel-compatible microprocessors. Had Cyrix not prevailed, it certainly would have been out of business. And in the closely watched Digital Equipment v. Intel case, we successfully asserted 10 patents against the Intel Pentium and Pentium Pro microprocessors, winning a settlement described in the National Law Journal as having a total value of over $1.5 billion.
With attorneys, patent agents and technical advisors in the forefront of the industry, our people have the necessary know-how to evaluate any semiconductor and processing technology patent portfolio, and create global strategies for patent protection and prosecution. And, professionals in related fields like nanotechnology, software and information systems, enable the Intellectual Property Group to foresee the larger implications of the matters we handle.
Our clients in the semiconductor industry include Linear Technology, Motorola, Symbol Technologies, Micron, Silicon Laboratories, Varian Semiconductor and Saifun Semiconductor.
Representative Experience
- We successfully represented Linear Technology against patent infringement for their analog circuitry.
- In Symbol Technologies, et al. v. Lemelson, a Federal District Court struck down the Lemelson patents, which had previously generated $1.5 billion in royalties from over 1000 corporations doing business in the United States.
- In Saifun Semiconductors v. AMD and Fujitsu, involving patents and trade secrets relating to a new generation of memory chip devices, the case was settled favorably soon after Saifun filed a complaint. The settlement resulted in the parties establishing a business relationship that included substantial value flowing to Saifun.
- In Guardian Industries v. Sanyo Electric Co., et al., we represent Sanyo Electric, Tottori Sanyo and Sanyo North America, which together with other well-known Japanese companies have been sued for infringement of patents relating to liquid crystal displays.
©2008 Ropes & Gray LLP. All rights reserved.
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