Alcatel-Lucent SA, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, settled patent infringement claims against Acer Inc's Gateway yesterday that were part of a larger dispute with Microsoft Corp and Dell Inc.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman Mary Ward said. A trial against Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, and Dell was scheduled to begin next week in federal court in San Diego.
"We have signed an agreement with Gateway," Ward said in a telephone interview. "We are pleased to be able to put this issue between our two companies behind us."
Alcatel-Lucent claimed computers made by Dell and Gateway, and containing Microsoft's operating system, infringed five patents, including ones for video signals and displays as well as operating a computer with a stylus. Microsoft said in a Jan. 14 court filing that Alcatel-Lucent demanded a total of more than US$3.49 billion from the three companies.
Alcatel-Lucent was seeking as much as US$309.6 million from Gateway and US$119.8 million more from Gateway and Microsoft together, Microsoft said in the filing. The amount Paris-based Alcatel-Lucent is seeking has since changed as the trial neared.
Officials with Irvine, California-based Gateway and Taipei-based Acer did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Lucent Technologies Inc, which Alcatel acquired in 2006, sued Dell and Gateway in 2002. Microsoft in turn sued Lucent, after the computer makers said Microsoft would have to reimburse them for any damages they might have to pay in the suits. The cases were combined and then split by the different technologies.
In the first trial with Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, a jury awarded Alcatel-Lucent US$1.52 billion. The judge later threw out the verdict and the case is now on appeal.
Alcatel-Lucent American depositary receipts, each representing one ordinary share, fell US$0.12 to US$6.07 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Charming US President Donald Trump one week, angering China the next, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has had a busy start and is riding high in the polls, all on a few hours of sleep a night. However, the honeymoon might end soon for the Margaret Thatcher-admiring leader if a spat with China escalates further and she fails to keep inflation in check. “I believe Prime Minister Takaichi will surely do what she needs to do, so I trust her,” Kozue Otsuka, 50, told reporters at a festival this week for business owners seeking good fortune. While buying a lucky kumade rake featuring
TECH TITANS: Amazon’s latest chip joins Google in competing for the 90 percent market share held by Nvidia, which claims it is ‘a generation ahead of the industry’ Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday launched its in-house-built Trainium3 artificial intelligence (AI) chip, marking a significant push to compete with Nvidia Corp in the lucrative market for AI computing power. The move intensifies competition in the AI chip market, where Nvidia dominates with an estimated 80 to 90 percent market share for products used in training large language models that power the likes of ChatGPT. Google last week caused tremors in the industry when it was reported that Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc would employ Google AI chips in data centers, signaling new competition for Nvidia. This followed the release last month of
INSULATED: The company said it is less exposed to global complications, as it has built a strong footprint worldwide, and has multiple sources of rare earths and raw minerals Merck Group yesterday said it would ramp up production next year at its new flagship facility in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) to satisfy growing demand for advanced semiconductor materials and specialty gases, and to address supply resilience issues amid mounting geopolitical risks. Merck made the remarks during a news conference before the inauguration of its 500 million euros (US$582.1 million) facility, which is also to supply other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. Merck executive board deputy chair and electronics CEO Kai Beckmann told reporters the company adopted a “local-for-local” strategy about seven years ago to address the cycle time of
Two companies wholly owned by the daughter of the founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Monday reported to the Taiwan Stock Exchange that they would dispose of all of the Hon Hai shares they hold. In filings with the exchange, Hong Wei Investment Co (鋐維) said it would sell the 2.771 million Hon Hai shares it holds and Frontier Investment Corp (承鋒投資) said it would sell its 2.409 million Hon Hai shares from tomorrow until Jan. 3 next year. The two companies are wholly owned and chaired by Shirley Gou (郭曉玲), the eldest daughter of Hon Hai founder Terry
RSS