Intel loses 6th. dispute over FinFET patent infringement, they could ban the sale of their CPUs in China

Intel has been using FinFET technology since 2011 and it has become an essential part of the development of its processors. However, the company was sued in 2018 for infringement of a FinFET patent in China. A research and development lab funded by the Chinese government claims that Intel has infringed its patent and the company questioned the validity of that patent.

China could ban the sale of Intel processors

Nevertheless, Intel lost its sixth dispute with the China Patent Reexamination Board. As a result, the government could impose a ban on selling the “Core” family processors in China. In addition, they could be forced to pay approximately $ 31 million in damages to the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMECAS), plus litigation costs, unless the parties reach a licensing agreement.

Tom’s Hardware received the following comments on this from Intel:

This decision is subject to appeal and Intel awaits the court’s balanced consideration of the patent invalidity challenges.

We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the potential loss, if any, arising from these matters. We dispute the accusations of IMECAS and try to defend ourselves vigorously.

This dispute centers on the 457 patent, also known as the “FinFET” patent. Additionally, IMECAS also sued Dell China and JingDong Century Information Technology for patent infringement, but those companies offered Intel compensation. In its claim for the validity of the patent, Intel has succeeded in having 3 of the patent claims invalid. However, another 11 are still valid. Therefore, the infringement lawsuit will go ahead, along with two other lawsuits that IMECAS filed against Intel. These other lawsuits are related to the manufacture and sale of Core i3 processors, but this time it is about MOSFET technology.

Finally, it appears that Intel is running out of options to discredit the validity of the patent, so this lawsuit could go to court, or have a settlement, in the coming months.

Who will win the legal battle between Intel and IMECAS?

Source: Tom’s hardware.