WASHINGTON--Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp. and Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SiS) claimed partial legal victory in a bitter complaint at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The ITC has apparently ruled that UMC's patent case is invalid, but it also blocked a key product line made by SiS from entering the U.S. market.
Last year, the ITC voted to investigate whether Taiwanese chip-set maker SiS violated two patents owned by silicon foundry giant UMC. This was seen as a possible blow to SiS, a Taiwanese IC design house that is expanding to become an integrated device manufacturer (IDM). If the ITC found that SiS is infringing the patents, SiS will not be allowed to export its wafers to the U.S. market
UMC also claims SiS recruited some of UMC's engineers and infringed its intellectual properties in order to run SiS's wafer fab. The 200-mm wafer facility, located on the island, is the only one that SiS now operates (see Feb. 28, 2001 story ).
In a preliminary determination on May 7, the ITC held that the UMC patents in question were invalid, according to SiS of Taipei. But on Oct. 7, the ITC issued a final determination in the case, which supported all but one of the 29 individual claims against SiS.
The ITC has issued a "Limited Exclusion Order" to restrict U.S. import 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.," according to SiS. "Therefore, the production and product shipments will be unaffected, and there will be no impact on customer supplies and imports to the U.S.," the company said.
SiS is, however, contemplating an appeal of the adverse ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
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