4/07/03
SANTA
CLARA, Calif., - Intel Corporation and VIA Technologies, Inc.
have reached a settlement agreement in a series of pending
patent lawsuits related to chipsets and microprocessors. The
agreement encompasses 11 pending cases in five countries involving
27 patents.
Under
terms of the settlement both companies will dismiss all pending
legal claims in all jurisdictions. The companies also entered
into a ten-year patent cross license agreement covering each
company's products. As part of the agreement Intel granted
VIA a license to sell microprocessors that are compatible
with the x86 instruction set but not pin compatible or bus
compatible with Intel microprocessors.
Intel
further agreed for a period of three years, not to assert
its patents on VIA bus or pin compatible microprocessors.
Intel also granted VIA a four year license to design and sell
chip sets that are compatible with the Intel microprocessor
bus and agreed not to assert its patents on VIA or its customers
or distributors on such chip sets for a fifth year. The agreement
will be royalty bearing to Intel for some products. The license
agreements do not apply to S3 Graphics, a company partially
owned by VIA.
Each
company is responsible for its own attorney's fees. Specific
financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Intel
initiated the litigations in September 2001, claiming that
VIA's microprocessor and chipset products infringed Intel
patents. VIA counter sued, claiming that Intel microprocessors
infringed three patents VIA acquired in connection with its
acquisition of IDT's Centaur subsidiary.
VIA
Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator and developer of
PC core logic chipsets, microprocessors, and multimedia, networking
and communications chips. VIA delivers value to the PC industry
by designing, marketing, and selling high-performance VIA
Apollo core logic chipsets for the full range of PC platforms,
and cost-effective VIA C3(tm) processors for Value PCs and
Internet Appliances, as well as developing complete solutions
for the PC platform through its VPSD Business Unit. Its customers
include the world's top OEMs, mainboard manufacturers, and
system integrators. VIA is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan,
at the center of the Greater China high-tech manufacturing
engine, and has branch offices in the US, China and Europe.
The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE2388),
and achieved annual revenues of nearly US$1 billion in 2001.
Additional information can be found at www.via.com.tw.
Intel,
the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer
of computer, networking and communications products. Additional
information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Intel
is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries
in the United States and other countries.
*
Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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