SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 08/16/2012 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) has issued its decision in Rambus’s appeal of an ex parte reexamination of Rambus patent No. 6,034,918 (918).
Although the Federal Circuit has affirmed the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) rejection of claim 18, the decision does not affect the PTO’s previous confirmation of the two other claims challenged in the reexamination. These two claims were asserted by Rambus and in a jury trial before Judge Whyte in the Northern District of California found to be infringed by SK Hynix. Claim 18 was not asserted in that patent trial.
“While we respectfully disagree with the Federal Circuit decision, we are pleased that the PTO previously confirmed the two other claims challenged in the reexamination. These two claims were amongst the ten that a jury in California found valid and infringed by SK Hynix,” said Thomas Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel at Rambus. “We are evaluating our options for the 918 decision and remain committed to protecting the technology developed by our talented team of engineers.”
History of the case
In 2009, SK Hynix requested reexamination of claims 18, 24 and 33 of US patent number 6,034,918. The USPTO Board of Appeals and Interferences affirmed claims 24 and 33, but rejected claim 18. The only issue before the Federal Circuit in this case was Rambus’ appeal of the rejection of claim 18. Previously, SK Hynix was found to have infringed claims 24 and 33 of the ’918 patent by a jury in the Northern District of California.
About Rambus Inc.
Founded in 1990, Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. As a company of inventors, Rambus focuses on the development of technologies that enrich the end-user experience of electronic systems. Its breakthrough innovations and solutions help industry-leading companies bring superior products to market. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio, as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard solutions. Rambus has offices in California, North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.
