Intel loses German patent infringement case
A German court has judged against Intel in a patent dispute surrounding a number of its older processors.
A US company called R2 Semiconductor claims Intel infringed its integrated voltage regulator technology patent in the development of its earlier-generation processors, including the Core Series: Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, Alder Lake and the Xeon Scalable Ice Lake Server.
Intel fought the case, describing R2 as “a patent troll”. But the regional court in Düsseldorf, Germany, ruled in favour of R2 and issued an injunction against the sale of the Intel processors in Germany. The ban also extends to any products that are based on them. Newer products are exempt from the ruling.
“Intel believes companies like R2, which appears to be a shell company whose only business is litigation, should not be allowed to obtain injunctions on CPUs and other critical components at the expense of consumers, workers, national security, and the economy,” Intel told the Financial Times.
Intel says it intends to appeal the court’s decision.
