- Intel infringes R2 Semiconductor’s patents, according to German courts
- Because of this, they are not allowed to sell some of their processors to our neighbors
- Intel disagrees with the ruling and calls its opponent a patent troll
Due to patent disputes with the Finnish Nokia, Germany lost smartphones from Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo brands for some time. Shortly after the warring sides settled their disputes, the German hammer fell on another tech giant. The regional court in Düsseldorf issued a ban on the sale of selected Intel processors this week.
Not only the processors themselves, but also some computers
According to the German courts, Intel infringed the patents of the American company R2 Semiconductor for integrated voltage regulators. The aforementioned company, which deals with the designs of semiconductor circuits, previously worked with Intel, and there were even rumors of a possible acquisition. Intel abandoned this plan in 2015, but continued to use technologies patented by R2. The affected company decided to protect its intellectual property and filed a lawsuit against Intel in 2020.
The German court ruled in her favor and issued a court order prohibiting the sale of processors of the following generations in Germany:
- Ice Lake (10th generation)
- Tiger Lake (11. generace)
- Alder Lake (12th generation)
While the first two mentioned generations are no longer in general sale due to their age, Alder Lake processors can still be purchased on the German market, either separately or as part of computers from certain brands such as Dell or HP. These computers must also be recalled from store shelves. Importantly, the patent dispute does not affect the latest generations of Raptor Lake and Meteor Lake CPUs, so processors and computers introduced in the last two years can still be sold in Germany.
Intel understandably disagrees with the judgment and is preparing not only an appeal, but also a lawsuit against R2 Semiconductor. Intel representatives claim that this company does not actually develop any products and is only a so-called patent troll. Whatever the truth, we can expect a legal shootout that will not have a winner in the end – because before the courts decide, Intel 12th generation processors will not be on store shelves anywhere in the world.
Author of the article
Jakub Karásek
A fan of mobile technology, convertibles and wireless charging, a fan of hard music and a lover of fast driving in go-karts, bikes and skis. Opponent of FUP, slow internet and overgrown smartphones.
2024-02-09 17:00:00
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