Rambus tries to ban Nvidia imports

Rambus has a long history of being rather prickly about what it perceives to be its IP, and now it is aiming that perception at Nvidia again. This time the legal eagles are urging the ITC to go after imports of NV products.

The reason we say perception is that several of the IP-related actions have gone for Rambus, several against, and there has been no clear decision either way. You roll the dice, you take your chances. Only in court, it takes a decade or 12 and costs companies a number with a minimum of six trailing zeros.

This time, Rambus is alleging that Nvidia and it's partners are infringing on nine patents covering DDR, DDR2, DDR3, LPDDR, GDDR, GDDR2, and GDDR3. The partner list is a who's who of companies selling Nvidia; basically anyone bringing NV products into the US is named.

This latest twist seems to be a lever in the ongoing lawsuits -- note the plural -- between the two companies. If this works the way it normally does, the ITC will warm the chairs they occupy for years, then ban something four generations out of date. Wads of press releases will follow.

You have to love the system, and if this goes the way things normally do, buy your Nforce 2s now before they are made illegal.

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