Intel Corp has settled another of its pending lawsuits, this time the suit it took out against Silicon Storage Technology Inc back in November 1997 (CI No 3,294). The settlement was reached after both companies agreed to a neutral mediation. Terms were not revealed, although both companies said they were pleased with the agreement. SST said the settlement would be immaterial to its financial statements. Intel also settled its trade secrets lawsuit with Motorola Inc earlier this month (CI No 3,652).
Sunnyvale, California-based SST produces non-volatile memory products using its patented SuperFlash technology, and sells into the computer, communications and consumer markets. Its licensees include IBM Corp, Motorola Inc, Samsung Electronics Co, Sanyo Electric Co Ltd, Seiko Epson Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Co. Intel originally accused SST of patent infringements covering flash memory circuits and memory cell structure. SST filed a counterclaim alleging unfair and anti-competitive behavior, and reported Intel’s conduct to the Federal Trade Commission. It claimed that Intel had threatened to sue unless it agreed to license the its technology royalty free and pay royalties itself to Intel. Last August, the case against SST was dismissed by the US District Court in Delaware, with the judge ruling that Intel had not established significant grounds for the case to proceed. Intel took out a separate action in the San Jose District Court in September, alleging infringements on four patents.
Meanwhile, SST is still fighting out a similar patent suit with Atmel Corp. In 1996, Atmel claims SST is infringing six of its patents. The District Court for the Northern District of California has judged a number of those patent claims invalid. The trial on the remaining issues has been postponed until Atmel’s appeal is heard.
