Intel Corp has aggressively extended a lawsuit it filed in the US against rival VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子) to three countries, claiming the chipset seller infringed on its Pentium 4 CPU patents.
Taipei-based VIA infringed on patents in Germany, the UK and Hong Kong, the biggest maker of computer chips and chipsets said in a statement.
Intel on Sept. 8 sued VIA, saying it infringed on five patents by selling unlicensed chipsets that may be used with Intel's Pentium 4 microprocessors. The chipsets in question control the flow of data between the processor and other parts of the computer.
VIA accounts for 40 percent of the US$3 billion global chipset market after doubling its market share in less than three years. Intel also accused VIA of patent infringement in another suit filed in June 1999. That dispute was settled out of court.
Richard Brown, director of international marketing at VIA, rejected Intel's claims.
"They are without merit and we will vigorously defend against them," Brown said.
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