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Against Hynix, Rambus won all three phases of the drawn-out case in Whyte’s courtroom. First, in 2005, there was Whyte’s ruling on the shredding. Next, in April 2006, the jury found that Hynix was infringing. Finally, last spring, a jury rejected claims by Hynix, Micron Technology and Nanya Technology that Rambus set an illegal “patent trap” by stealing — and then patenting — ideas from industry meetings in the 1990s.
Rambus sought an injunction to bar Hynix from making chips after winning the third phase. But Whyte denied the injunction, instead ordering the sides to hammer out a licensing agreement that would allow Hynix to keep making chips.
The $397 million is the total of the $134 million award Rambus won after securing the patent infringement verdict in 2006; $215 million for Hynix’s infringement between then and Jan. 31, 2009; and $48 million in prejudgment interest.
