Las Vegas Sun

December 6, 2009

Currently: 49° | Complete forecast | Log in

Digital sues Intel for patent infringement

Wednesday, May 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, Digital claims that Intel, the world's biggest maker of computer chips, infringed on Digital patents.

"Our goal is very simple: to stop Intel from unlawfully using Digital's patented technology in its present and future microprocessor products," Robert Palmer, Digital chairman and chief executive, said Tuesday.

Nearly all of Intel's $5.2 billion in profits last year came from the chips in question. The suit seeks triple damages, but Palmer refused to say how much money that might be.

Tom Waldrop, a spokesman for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel, said of the lawsuit: "We will defend against it vigorously. It was a total surprise."

Intel's chips are the "brains" in 85 percent of the world's personal computers. Intel has shipped just over 1 million Pentium-family chips since it began producing them in 1993, according to Dataquest Inc. of San Jose.

The suit was filed less than a week after Intel rolled out its latest chip, the Pentium II.

archive

  • Most Read
  • Discussed
  • Most E-mailed

Complete Listing

Calendar »

  • 6 Sun
  • 7 Mon
  • 8 Tue
  • 9 Wed
  • 10 Thu

All events on Sunday »