Rambus Chip Trial Promises to Draw In CEOs
A high-stakes trial pitting Rambus Inc. (RMBS) against three chip makers–which could bring chief executives of some giant technology companies to the witness stand–is scheduled to begin opening maneuvers Wednesday.
The case in San Francisco County Superior Court centers on allegations by Rambus that Micron Technology Inc. (MU), Samsung Electronics Co. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. illegally conspired to boycott technology developed by Rambus and took other actions to block its acceptance. It is hoping to win billions of dollars in damages from the case. The three companies deny the allegations.
Rambus, of Los Altos, Calif., licenses patented technology that is used to accelerate the performance of memory chips, including products known as dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, that are a mainstay of personal computers. The company’s history has been marked by litigation, including patent battles with numerous chip makers and an antitrust case against the company by the Federal Trade Commission that was rejected by an appeals court.
