UMC sues SIS

[ALBPM]

UMC's statement came after the Commission said Taiwan chipset maker Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (Q.SLN, news) violated 2 chip manufacturing patents owned by UMC and Tuesday barred some of its products from the U.S market.

The ruling means the infringing SiS chipsets and graphics chips, and all motherboards containing the disputed goods, are to be barred from importation into the U.S. immediately following a law-mandated 60-day review, UMC said.

Its closest rival, VIA Technologies (Q.VIA, news), is also hampered in the market by legal difficulties.

UMC said it still has other claims against SiS pending in U.S. courts.

Analysts were unsure how to gauge the legal dispute, and said Intel Corp. (INTC, news) (INTC, news) stands to benefit most.
The world's largest chipmaker by revenue might be left nearly alone in the world market for chipsets.

[GT98]

From the SIS.com webpage....

"Silicon Integrated Systems Comments On The Final Determination Issued by the International Trade Commission (ITC)"

October 8th, 2002, Taipei, Taiwan. Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SiS), a leading core logic and graphics supplier, announced that on October 7, 2002, the International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a Notice of Final Determination and Limited Exclusion Order under Section 337 (19 U.S.C. ¡± 1337) in the trade litigation brought by United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC). In a preliminary determination on May 7, 2002, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) of the ITC held that the UMC patents in question are invalid. In this final determination, the ITC has supported this view, with respect to all but one of the twenty-nine individual claims. The ITC has thus issued a Limited Exclusion Order to restrict import into the U.S. of SiS integrated circuits manufactured under process related to that claim.

Though SiS partially disagreed with the determination, SiS has adopted a new manufacturing process to manufacture redesigned products for import to the U.S. Therefore; the production and product shipments will be unaffected, and there will be no impact on customer supplies and imports to the U.S.

SiS has always maintained the highest regard for rights of intellectual property, both that of others and SiS itself. SiS has worked hard for many years to accumulate own advanced IC technical capability and knowledge base. SiS is contemplating an appeal of the adverse ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

About SiS:
SiS was founded in 1987, and is based in Hsin Chu Science-based Industrial Park in Northern Taiwan. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing leading-edge logic products, including core logic, multimedia and connectivity.

Goes to show how well anaysis do their research....