A request made by Intel to overturn an order requiring the chip maker to pay $2.18bn to VLSI Technology has been rejected by a US judge.
As reported by Reuters, US District Judge Alan Albright in Waco, Texas has denied the company’s motion for a new trial in a recent sealed order.
Back in March, VLSI was awarded $1.5bn and $675m for two patents that Intel had infringed on. The first patent, US7725759B2, deals with managing clock speed in an electronic device and was originally developed by SigmaTel while the second patent, US7523373B2, which describes a minimum memory operating voltage technique was originally developed by Freescale.
Intention to appeal
In a statement from Intel released after Judge Albright denied its motion for a new trial, the company said that it was disappointed with the decision and that it will appeal it.
However, the chip giant also called for reforms to stop “litigation investors” from using low-quality patents to extract “exorbitant” damages from itself and other large companies as this practices both stifles innovation and hurts the economy.
When Intel first sought a new trial in the case, the company’s reasoning behind doing so was due to how it believed the verdict was tainted by incorrect jury instructions and penitentiary rulings which were based on earlier Intel settlements. Intel also brought up the fact that the verdict was the second largest by a jury in a patent case and that the three other largest verdicts had been overturned by vacated judgments.
It appears like the ongoing patent lawsuits between Intel and VLSI aren’t over just yet and we’ll likely find out more once the chip maker submits its appeal.
Via Tom’s Hardware