Rambus Files New Patent Complaint Against Nvidia, Other Chip Makers

   DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

Rambus Inc. (RMBS) has filed yet another patent complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission against a slew of chip makers.

Rambus, which makes memory chips, claimed products from Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), Broadcom Corp. (BRCM), LSI Corp. (LSI), MediaTek Inc. (2454.TW) and STMicroelectronics N.V. (STM, STM.MI), among others, infringed several of its patents.

The latest complaint follows the ITC's order this summer that Nvidia and other manufacturers couldn't sell or import products using technology protected by the so-called "Barth" family of patents. The ruling eventually led to a licensing agreement between Rambus and Nvidia.

Wednesday, Rambus Chief Executive Harold Hughes said the company has been attempting to reach licensing pacts with the latest round of chip makers in the complaint. "One of the respondents frankly told us that the only way they would get serious is if we sued them," he said.

The Barth patents are included in the latest complaint, as are others in a family of patents referred the "Dally1."

Rambus has long been embroiled in court battles over its memory technologies for years.

Rambus shares closed Wednesday up 0.8% at $20.16 and weren't active after-hours. Of the companies with stock listed in the U.S. that were named in the complaint, only one was trading after the announcement: LSI shares were up 1.9% at $5.92 after-hours.

-By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291; [e-mail]