EU Accuses Rambus of 'Patent Ambush'

European Union regulators have charged Rambus with antitrust abuse, and pointed out that the memory chip designer request "unreasonable" royalty, patent infringement as industry standards.

The EUs initial allegations, announced Thursday, a few weeks after the United States Federal Trade Commission ruled that the company deceived a standard-setting committee, non-disclosure of its patented technology, will be required to comply with standards.

Therefore, every manufacturer expressed the hope that a synchronous dynamic access memory chips to negotiate a Rambus license with the company.

Both EU and the United States antitrust officials alleged, making Rambus gain illegal monopoly in the 1990s DRAM chips used in personal computers, servers, printers, personal digital assistants and other electronic products.

Fair will be ordered to stop Rambus royalties collected before the United States Patent and foreign goods imported or from the United States. However, the EUs executive arm said it had to take action because the decision of the United States will not grant relief to companies in Europe.

Rambus - design and technology licensing, but does not make chips - have nine weeks to respond to the European Commissions opposition statement, and to seek a oral hearing before the EU in making a final decision.

EU can impose a maximum fine of 10% of the companys annual global turnover it violated the law. 2006, Los Altos, California-based company revenue of 194.2 million US dollars.

It is more likely that the European Union will require Rambus companies for charging "reasonable and non-discriminatory royalty rate," the commission said. It did not specify how many would be.

Rambus company claimed that it saw nothing new in the EU charges.

"These are roughly the same review of the issues, some of the United States courts, the Federal Trade Commission says that currently in the United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, said: "Rambus general counsel of the Thomas lavelle. "We are studying objection statements, and plans to respond at the appropriate time." This is the first time, the European Commission has charged a company with a new antitrust abuse - the so-called patent ambush - such as a company fool standards organizations to maintain secret of the fact that it has patented technology, all players will later be forced to license.

"The Commissions preliminary view is that, if not its patent ambush, Rambus will not be able to collect royalty rates, which is currently" European Union regulators said.

Rambus has stressed for a few years, it revealed a patent to memory chip maker Micron Technology, Inc., and Hitachi Ltd., the standard-setting discussions begin the.

Rambus lawyers also argued that the disclosure policies Joint Electronic Device Engineering Solid State Technology Association Committee failed to specify what companies should Rambus to the Standards Committee.