Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it has filed complaints against GlobalFoundries Inc in the US, Germany and Singapore for infringing upon 25 patents in the latest legal battle with its smaller rival.
TSMC said in a statement that it took legal action against GlobalFoundries to safeguard its technology leadership and protect its customers.
GlobalFoundries has infringed upon its patents related to 40-nanometer, 28-nanometer, 22-nanometer, 14-nanometer and 12-nanometer node process technologies, TSMC said.
The technologies cover the core features of mature and advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes. The patents at issue comprise a small portion of TSMC’s portfolio of more than 37,000 granted patents worldwide.
The “lawsuits seek to protect our reputation, our significant investments, our nearly 500 customers and consumers worldwide to ensure everyone benefits from the most advanced semiconductor technologies that enable a wide range of applications, such as mobile, 5G, AI [artificial intelligence], IoT [the Internet of Things] and high-performance computing, which are critically important to the public interest,” TSMC general counsel Sylvia Fang (方淑華) said in the statement.
In its complaints, TSMC demands injunctions to stop GlobalFoundries’ manufacturing and sale of infringing semiconductor products, the statement said.
It also seeks substantial monetary compensation from GlobalFoundries for its sale of infringing semiconductor products and unlawful use of TSMC’s patented semiconductor technologies, the statement added.
The move came after GlobalFoundries on Aug. 26 filed patent infringement complaints against TSMC in the US and Germany, claiming that TSMC has illegally used 16 of its patents.
The US International Trade Commission on Thursday last week voted to launch an investigation into the complaint.
“GlobalFoundries’ complaints are without merit and reflect an attempt to disrupt TSMC’s business through litigation rather than trying to compete on technological merit,” TSMC said yesterday.
The company said it has developed its technology through its own engineering efforts and has allocated nearly US$50 billion on capital expenditures and invested US$2.85 billion in research and development (R&D) over the past five years.
The company’s R&D team has grown to about 6,000 people, it added.
Shares in TSMC yesterday closed at a record NT$280, up 2.94 percent from the previous session on the back of a strong business outlook.
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