Tag archive: Delaware

Anyone following the technology industry doesn't need to be told that patent litigation is often a long-running, byzantine affair that only gets more confusing the more it's examined. Case in point: memory developer Rambus has just been awarded supplemental damages in its patent infringement case against Hynix. Although Rambus's request for injunctive relief was denied by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District… Read More

It's no secret that relations between chipmaker Intel and graphics developer Nvidia have become complicated lately, with Nvidia very publicly dismissing the quality of Intel's integrated graphics solutions and gunning not only for the high-end graphics market, but also targeting netbooks with its new Ion platform and even entering the supercomputing arena. Now, Intel has filed suit against the graphics developer, claiming a… Read More

Computer maker Dell has agreed to pay some $3.35 million to settle 34 states' allegations that the company's warranty, financing, and rebate offers were deceptive and misled consumers. The agreement has Dell paying $1.5 million into a restitution account; impacted consumers will be able to submit claims for compensation. The other $1.85 million will go towards the states' legal costs. “More than the money, this… Read More

In a closely watched intellectual property case, U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson has ruled that Rambus employees had destroyed email and other documents related to the company's patents, litigation, and marketing strategies between 1998 and 1999, and, as such, a dozen DRAM-related patents held by Rambus cannot be enforced against memory maker Micron. The two companies have patent-infringement lawsuits filed against each other in… Read More

For years, Nokia and Qualcomm have been engaged in a series of international legal battles over key mobile technology patents covering everything from CDMA and GSM to UMTS, HSDPA, and Wi-Max. The companies have filed suit against each other in multiple countries, sought to have each other's products banned from markets, and sparred over licensing terms, royalties, and other terms. The battle has been long and ugly, and was just… Read More

The world of technology patents is a confusing one indeed. One of the better-known technology patent battles in recent years has been TiVo's patent victory against Echostar, in which TiVo's so-called "time-warp" patent for DVR usage was upheld, and Echostar (the corporate parent of Dish Network) was found to have infringed on it to the tune of over $70 million. The case bolstered TiVo's claims to have pioneered… Read More

Internet distribution company Akamai has issued the first of what it claims will be an ongoing series of State of the Internet reports. (Registration required to view the full text.) In the report, the company finds that during the first quarter of 2008, China and the United States accounted for about 30 percent of all “attack traffic” on the Internet—but, surprisingly, a lot of that traffic was directed at network ports and… Read More

Turns out that suit eBay filed against Craiglist last week really is about the online classified ad market. After filing the suit under seal in a Delaware court last week and saying only that Craiglist had taken unilateral actions to dilute eBay's 28.4 percent stake in Craigslist, eBay has now published the text of its complaint (PDF), minus some redactions the company claims were requested by Craigslist. The complaint reveals that… Read More

Online auction giant eBay has filed suit against online classified service Craigslist, claiming Craigslist took unilateral actions that dilted eBay's ownership of Craigslist by more than 10 percent. Back in 2004, eBay bought a 28.4 percent stake in Craigslist; although the suit is filed under seal in a Delaware Chancery Court, eBay is asking the court to rescind unspecified actions by Craigslist's board of directors.… Read More

Yahoo announced today that it is extending the deadline to nominate candidates for its board of directors from March 14 to 10 days after the date of its annual shareholders' meeting. But here's here catch: Yahoo hasn't actually announced a date for its shareholders' meeting. The move is widely seen as a way to give Yahoo more time to explore alternatives to Microsoft's unsolicited $41 billion takeover bid for… Read More

In a routine filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Yahoo has revealed that it is now facing seven lawsuits brought by groups of shareholders over its rejection of Microsoft's recent $31-per-share takeover offer. The suits allege Yahoo's board has breached its fiduciary duty to investors by rejecting Microsoft's unsolicited buyout offer; Yahoo rejected the offer on February 11, saying it significantly… Read More

Another day, another patent war starts to brew. South Korea's technology giant Samsung has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging that Japan's Sharp is selling LCD flat panel displays and other items (like notebook computers, mobile phones, and monitors) that infringe on four Samsung patents. Samsung wants the ITC to bar sales of the Sharp products in the U.S. market. The move marks an… Read More

Late last month, Acer inked a deal to aquire U.S. computer maker Gateway for a $710 million; now, two groups of shareholders have filed lawsuits seeking to block the deal, claiming Gateway execs shirked their financial responsibility and should have held out for more money. The two lawsuits were disclosed Tuesdsay and Wednesday in a pair of SEC filings (here and here). One of the suits was filed on Califoria, where Gateway's… Read More

The European Union’s antitrust legislator has brought charges against chip maker Intel, accusing it of using illegalrebates in its business fight with Advanced Micro Devices.   The charges were given to Intel yesterday, following a six-year investigation that began with acomplaint from A.M.D. For most of the time the market was hugely dominated by Intel, which enjoyed an 80% share. However, Advanced Micro Devices struck back last… Read More

Following immediately on its settlements with Texas and California, music label Sony BMG has agreed to pay some $4.25 million as part of settlement agreements with 39 U.S. states and the District of Columbia regarding copy protection software included on some of the labels music CDs which caused computers to malfunction and exposed users to security threats. The terms of the agreement are similar to earlier settlements with Texas and… Read More