Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/19/nvidia_faces_bga_patent_suit/
Nvidia has been accused of patent infringement. Minneapolis-based Scanner Technologies claims it owns techniques that the GPU maker uses in the manufacture of ball grid array (BGA) chip-pin layouts without its permission. It said the alleged infringement was "willful and deliberate".
Scanner said yesterday it has filed a complaint with the the US District Court of Eastern Texas. The lawsuit's based on its US patents 7,079,678 and 7,085,411. The former details an three-dimensional inspection of a newly manufactured chip's BGA pin layout, while the latter describes a way of manufacturing BGA chips.
The two patents were filed in February 2005 and awarded, respectively, in July and August this year. Scanner has BGA-related patents stretching back to February 1995, though these are not named in the lawsuit.
Both techniques are not only used by Nvidia, Scanner alleged, but the chip maker also provided the technique to other manufacturers - again without Scanner's permission, according to the lawsuit.
In addition to requesting preliminary and permanent injunctions, the lawsuit asks the court to award Scanner all damages it is entitled to recover, including royalties on infringing products, treble damages and lawyers’ fees.
Nvidia has yet to respond to Scanner's allegations. ®
Nvidia rooted by Linux graphics bug (17 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/17/nvidia_linux_graphics_bug/
Nvidia's three-GPU mobo spied on web (16 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/16/nvidia_nforce_680i_leaks/
Nvidia launches mobile GeForce 7950 GTX (12 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/12/nvidia_geforce_go_7950/
Nvidia stock jumps on Intel takeover rumour (5 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/05/intel_nvidia_takeover_rumour/
Nvidia's 'G80' to ship mid-November? (2 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/02/nvidia_g80_to_ship_november/
Software patents back to haunt Europe (22 September 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/22/europe_patent/
Pre-AMD, ATI preps novel server charge (19 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/19/ati_gpgpu/
Nvidia ships 'first' 80nm mobile graphics chip (14 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/14/nvidia_unveils_geforce_go_7700/
Nvidia launches GeForce 7950 GT and 7900 GS chips (6 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/06/nvidia_geforce_7950gt_7900gs/
Nvidia releases latest driver package (4 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/04/nvidia_updates_forceware/
Nvidia GeForce 7100 GS slips out (31 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/31/nvidia_quietly_ships_7100_gs/
Nvidia revamps Opteron server, workstation chipsets (15 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/15/nvidia_unveils_nforce_pro_3000/