Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and its IC design subsidiary ASMedia Technology Inc (祥碩) yesterday said they have agreed to pay VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子) US$15 million to settle a four-year patent infringement dispute in Taiwan and the US.
Asustek and ASMedia will each shell out US$7.5 million as part of the settlement agreement, the two companies said in separate filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
“The case will not have a significant impact on Asustek’s finance and operations,” Asustek spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) said by telephone.
Asustek is considering booking the payment as a one-off expense in last quarter’s financial statements, pending discussions with its accountants, Wu said.
The payment is estimated to reduce Asustek’s earnings per share (EPS) by NT$0.3, based on the company’s 742.76 million outstanding shares.
The settlement is forecast to have a bigger impact on ASMedia, cutting its EPS by NT$3.97, based on its 57.07 million outstanding shares.
ASMedia’s stock price plunged 5.81 percent to close at NT$373 in Taipei trading yesterday.
VIA — an affiliate of HTC Corp (宏達電) — had accused a former executive, Lin Che-wei (林哲偉), and four other former employees who joined ASMedia of disclosing the firm’s confidential technologies on USB 3.0 chips to ASMedia.
VIA in November 2012 accused ASMedia of patent infringement and in 2013 filed a civil lawsuit against Asustek, Asustek CEO Jerry Shen (沈振來) and Lin, and asked for NT$4.13 billion (US$136.5 million) in damages.
Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) in 2013 held a press conference at the Taiwan Stock Exchange, defending the companies and Shen.
VIA chairman Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦) said Shih should state the truth and admit his mistakes.
VIA said in a filing on Monday with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that the company, Asustek and ASMedia reached a settlement on Saturday last week after four years of lawsuits.
“We [VIA, Asustek and ASMedia] are satisfied with the result,” VIA said.
The details of the settlement is protected under a confidentiality agreement, the companies said.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
MARKET LEADERSHIP: Investors are flocking to Nvidia, drawn by the company’s long-term fundamntals, dominant position in the AI sector, and pricing and margin power Two years after Nvidia Corp made history by becoming the first chipmaker to achieve a US$1 trillion market capitalization, an even more remarkable milestone is within its grasp: becoming the first company to reach US$4 trillion. After the emergence of China’s DeepSeek (深度求索) sent the stock plunging earlier this year and stoked concerns that outlays on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure were set to slow, Nvidia shares have rallied back to a record. The company’s biggest customers remain full steam ahead on spending, much of which is flowing to its computing systems. Microsoft Corp, Meta Platforms Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc are
UNCERTAINTIES: The world’s biggest chip packager and tester is closely monitoring the US’ tariff policy before making any capacity adjustments, a company official said ASE Technology Holding Inc (日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip packager and tester, yesterday said it is cautiously evaluating new advanced packaging capacity expansion in the US in response to customers’ requests amid uncertainties about the US’ tariff policy. Compared with its semiconductor peers, ASE has been relatively prudent about building new capacity in the US. However, the company is adjusting its global manufacturing footprint expansion after US President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs in April, and new import duties targeting semiconductors and other items that are vital to national security. ASE subsidiary Siliconware Precision Industries Co (SPIL, 矽品精密) is participating in Nvidia
RSS