Rambus

At Rambus, we create cutting-edge semiconductor and IP products, spanning memory and interfaces to security, smart sensors and lighting.

Home > Micron

Micron

Rambus and Micron Sign License Agreement

Agreement settles all outstanding disputes

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and BOISE, Idaho — December 9, 2013 — Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) and Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) today announced they have signed a broad patent cross license agreement. Under the agreement, Micron gains the right to use any Rambus patent for the manufacture of specified integrated circuit products, including any memory integrated circuit products. Certain of these memory products will enjoy a perpetual, paid-up license after the end of the initial term. The agreement requires quarterly royalty payments to Rambus over the next seven years capped at $10 million per quarter, with a rolling twelve-month cap fixed at $40 million, or $280 million during the initial term. In addition, Micron will have the option to extend the initial term of this agreement for additional renewal periods. As part of this agreement, the two companies have settled all outstanding patent and antitrust claims, and the agreement covers both Micron and Elpida products. Other terms and details of the agreement are confidential.

“This milestone agreement puts years of legal disputes behind both companies and opens doors for future cooperation,” said Dr. Ron Black, president and chief executive officer at Rambus. “We continue to focus on developing innovative technology and furthering our more open, collaborative relationship with the broader industry.”

“The industry is at an important juncture with the emergence of memory systems and solutions, and Micron is ideally positioned to capitalize on this trend,” said Micron CEO Mark Durcan.

Rambus management will host a conference call tomorrow, December 10, 2013 at 5:30am PT to discuss this agreement and settlement. The call will be available online at investor.rambus.com. A replay will be available following the call on the Rambus Investor Relations website for one week at the following numbers: (855) 859-2056 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international) with ID# 23087430.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is the innovative technology solutions company that brings invention to market. Unleashing the intellectual power of our world-class engineers and scientists in a collaborative and synergistic way, Rambus invents, licenses and develops solutions that challenge and enable our customers to create the future. While best known for creating unsurpassed semiconductor memory architectures, Rambus is also developing world-changing products and services in security and advanced LED lighting and displays. For additional details, visit rambus.com.

About Micron

Micron Technology, Inc., is a global leader in advanced semiconductor systems. Micron’s broad portfolio of high-performance memory technologies—including DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash—is the basis for solid state drives, modules, multichip packages and other system solutions. Backed by more than 35 years of technology leadership, Micron’s memory solutions enable the world’s most innovative computing, consumer, enterprise storage, networking, mobile, embedded and automotive applications. Micron’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

Decision Reached in Rambus Price Fixing Case Against Hynix and Micron

Jury finds in favor of defendants, finds evidence does not meet anti-trust threshold

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 11/16/2011 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced the jury in its anti-trust case against Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) and Micron Technology (NYSE:MU) has found in favor of the defendants. The jury found that Rambus did not meet its burden of proving its case against the two defendants. At issue were Rambus allegations that the defendants illegally conspired to constrain availability of Rambus’ RDRAM® and keep its prices unnaturally high relative to its competition, while holding competitive DDR pricing low, in an effort to eliminate Rambus’ RDRAM memory technology from the marketplace. Upon succeeding in eliminating RDRAM as a competitor in the main memory market, the defendants raised the prices of DDR by as much as 500%.

“We are disappointed with this verdict as we believe strongly in our case. We thank our legal team and everyone who has supported Rambus in this case over the past seven years. We do not agree with several rulings that affected how this case was presented to the jury and we are reviewing our options for appeal,” said Harold Hughes, president and chief executive officer of Rambus. “Regardless of this outcome, we remain steadfastly committed to innovation as Rambus engineers and scientists continue to advance the frontiers of technology for the benefit of our customers and consumers worldwide.”

This case, CGC-04-431105, was originally filed on May 5, 2004 in the Superior Court of the State of California. In the suit, Rambus charged that the defendants engaged in a concerted and unlawful effort to eliminate competition and stifle innovation in the market by collectively rigging DRAM prices to drive Rambus’ RDRAM memory technology from the market.

Rambus asserted its claims under certain causes of action, including conspiracy to restrict output and fix prices in violation of the Cartwright Act and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. The claim of the defendants engaging in unfair competition in violation of California Business and Professions Code Section 17200 remains to be decided by the judge. Rambus previously dismissed without prejudice a claim of conspiracy to monopolize in violation of the Cartwright Act.

Audio Conference Call and Webcast Scheduled

Rambus management will host a special conference call today at 2:00 p.m. PT to discuss this verdict. The call will be webcast and can be accessed through the Rambus website. A replay will be available following the call on Rambus’ Investor Relations website or for one week at the following numbers: (855) 859-2056 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international) with ID# 29014719.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies. Founded in 1990, the Company specializes in the invention and design of architectures focused on enriching the end-user experience of electronic systems. Rambus’ patented innovations and breakthrough technologies 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.

Rambus Receives Decision from Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Hynix case final judgment vacated and case remanded; In Micron case, Court affirmed Rambus spoliated documents, dismissal sanction vacated and case remanded

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 05/13/2011 – Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has issued its decisions in cases with Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) and Micron Technology Inc. (Nasdaq:MU). In the ruling in the Micron case, the CAFC affirmed the district court’s determination that Rambus spoliated documents, but vacated the court’s dismissal sanction and remanded the case for further consideration by the U.S. District of Delaware Court. In its ruling in the Hynix case, the CAFC vacated the district court’s spoliation findings where it had found that Rambus had not spoliated documents. The CAFC further vacated the court’s final judgment, and remanded the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (NDCA) for reconsideration.

“We are very disappointed with the decisions in these cases,” said Thomas Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel at Rambus. “We are hopeful when the district courts reconsider these decisions, they will find, as we believe, there was no bad faith and no prejudice.”

At issue in both of these cases is when Rambus reasonably foresaw litigation. Both district court judges in these matters identified different dates, with the NDCA determining Rambus did not engage in bad faith, while the Delaware Court determined that Rambus executed its document retention policy during a time when it reasonably foresaw litigation.

“Rambus has a rich history of developing breakthrough innovations that have enabled a broad spectrum of great electronic products,” said Harold Hughes, president and chief executive officer at Rambus. “While today’s decisions are disappointing, our commitment to innovation is unwavering. Rambus is a resilient company, and we will continue to move our business forward. This is true for our semiconductor business as well as the lighting and display business and the newly-announced acquisition of Cryptography Research.”

The Hynix Matter (CAFC 2099-1299, -1347)
This case was originally filed by Hynix against Rambus in August 2000. The case was split into three separate phases with Rambus prevailing in all three phases. The first phase considered Hynix’s allegations that certain Rambus patents should be unenforceable under the doctrine of unclean hands and spoliation.

The second phase dealt with Rambus’ allegations that Hynix memory products infringed its patents. A jury found in favor of Rambus by agreeing that Hynix memory products infringe all ten Rambus patent claims and awarded Rambus damages.

In the third and final phase of the case, Hynix (together with Micron and Nanya) alleged Rambus engaged in antitrust and fraud during its participation in a standard-setting organization called JEDEC in the early 1990s. A jury, again, found in favor of Rambus finding it had acted properly during its participation in JEDEC. Hynix appealed these decisions.

The Micron Matter (CAFC 2009-1263)
This case was originally filed by Micron against Rambus in August 2000. The case was split into three separate phases with the first phase concerning allegations of unclean hands and spoliation. The district court found in favor of Micron and held that the Rambus patents at issue in this case were unenforceable against Micron. Rambus appealed the decision.

Rambus management will discuss this decision during a special conference call today at 2:00 p.m. PT. The call will be webcast and can be accessed through the Rambus website. A replay will be available following the call on Rambus’ Investor Relations website or for one week at the following numbers: (800) 642-1687 (domestic) or (706) 645-9291 (international) with ID# 68227784. Today’s rulings can be found at: http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/dailylog.html.

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. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our intention to continue our innovations, filing of patents and efforts to be fairly compensated for our patented inventions. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs, and certain assumptions made by our management. Actual results may differ materially. Our business generally is subject to a number of risks which are described more fully in our SEC filings including our 10-K and 10-Qs.

Rambus Comments on Order in Price-Fixing Case

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 11/23/2009 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) today announced that Judge Richard A. Kramer of the San Francisco Superior Court has issued recommendations that the Rambus antitrust case against certain memory manufacturers and the Tessera Technologies antitrust case against Hynix be coordinated and assigned to the San Francisco Superior Court.

“At the hearing regarding coordination on November 6, 2009, Judge Kramer made clear that he would recommend coordination so long as it does not delay the commencement of the Rambus antitrust jury trial on January 11, 2010,” said Thomas Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel of Rambus. “Consistent with those statements, we are preparing to start our trial in January and we look forward to confirmation from Judge Kramer when he returns to court next week.”

The Rambus case before the Honorable Judge Kramer was filed in 2004 alleging defendants Hynix, Micron and Samsung engaged in a concerted and unlawful effort to eliminate competition and stifle innovation in the market for computer memory technology and computer memory chips.

Additional information on this and other cases can be found at www.rambus.com/investor, under the Litigation Update section.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in the invention and design of high-speed memory architectures. Since its founding in 1990, the Company’s patented innovations, breakthrough technologies and renowned integration expertise have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ innovations and solutions enable unprecedented performance in computing, communications, and consumer electronics applications. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as a range of leadership and industry-standard memory solutions. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Court Declares Rambus Patents in Suit Unenforceable in Micron Delaware Case

Rambus intends to appeal decision

LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 01/09/2009 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS), one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies, today announced that the U.S. District Court of Delaware in the patent infringement matter with Micron Technology has found that Rambus cannot pursue its claims against Micron due to spoliation. In her opinion, the Honorable Sue L. Robinson determined that Rambus executed its document retention policy during a time when it anticipated litigation.

“We respectfully, but strongly, disagree with this opinion, and at the appropriate juncture plan to appeal,” said Tom Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel at Rambus. “This opinion is highly inconsistent with the findings of the Court in the Northern District of California which looked at the same conduct and found there was nothing improper with our document retention practices. We are confident in the strength of our position and will continue to vigorously pursue fair compensation for the use of our patented inventions.”

The case with Micron was originally filed by Micron against Rambus in August 2000. The case was split into three separate phases with the first phase concerning allegations of unclean hands and spoliation. Cases are still pending against Hynix, Nanya, Micron, and Samsung in the Northern District of California. These cases concern patents, some of which were at suit in Delaware, as well as additional patents not part of that matter. Additionally, a trial on Rambus’ claims that Samsung, Hynix and Micron illegally fixed DRAM prices and output to eliminate Rambus’ proprietary RDRAM product from the market is scheduled for trial in San Francisco Superior Court in March.

Rambus management will discuss this decision during a special conference call today at 2:00 p.m. PST. The call will be webcast and can be accessed through the Rambus website. A replay will be available following the call on Rambus’ Investor Relations website or for one week at the following numbers: (888) 203-1112 (domestic) or (719) 457-0820 (international) with ID# 8310495. Additional information can be found on Rambus’ website at http://investor.rambus.com (under Litigation Update section).

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies specializing in the invention and design of high-speed memory architectures. Since its founding in 1990, the Company’s patented innovations, breakthrough technologies and renowned integration expertise have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring superior products to market. Rambus’ innovations and solutions enable unprecedented performance in computing, communications, and consumer electronics applications. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio as well as a range of leadership and industry-standard memory solutions. Headquartered in Los Altos, California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, India, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus logo