The EU is expected to announce next week the terms on which it
could settle its anti-trust dispute with Rambus, with Rambus agreeing to an
upper limit on its licensing fees.
For five years from April 2010, Rambus will cap its royalty rate
on its latest DRAM IP to 1.5%, and will drop any claims to
royalties on older generations of DRAM IP so long as it is not used
in more than 10% of a DRAM manufacturer's total DRAM output.
Royalties on memory controller IP will be capped at 2% after May
2010.
The EU is asking DRAM manufacturers to comment on the proposed
fee structure over the next month. Some DRAM manufacturers like
Hynix and Micron still have outstanding legal issues with
Rambus.
If everything is acceptable then the EU will drop the charges
against Rambus and not pursue a fine or any finding of wrongdoing
by Rambus.
See also:
Mannerisms, the blog of David Manners. Updated twice daily,
it's the distinctive, entertaining, authoritative and never dull
commentary on the semiconductor industry, from someone who knows.
Sign up for the Mannerisms eNewsletter.