Intel V. VIA is Finally Over

[Sudhian Staff]

Intel V. VIA is Finally Over

[Sudhian Staff]

It looks like they basically agreed to share.  They both dropped all suits against each other and agreed to help each other instead, what an interesting idea.

Intel Corporation and VIA Technologies, Inc. have reached a settlement agreement in a series of pending patent lawsuits related to chipsets and microprocessors. The agreement encompasses 11 pending cases in five countries involving 27 patents.


Under terms of the settlement both companies will dismiss all pending legal claims in all jurisdictions. The companies also entered into a ten-year patent cross license agreement covering each company's products. As part of the agreement Intel granted VIA a license to sell microprocessors that are compatible with the x86 instruction set but not pin compatible or bus compatible with Intel microprocessors.

Read more here.

[Rocky]

I guess its been going on so long no one cares anymore!

[wdb1966]

So VIA actually got a license...I'll be a monkey's uncle.

[hkoverclocker]

Does it include chipsets though? If the inquirer is correct (although they rarely are) then Via only has a little time left in which they're allowed to sell chipsets without complaints from intel (not that Via chipsets are any good anyways)

The link is dead though...

[Rocky]

The link is fixed. Sorry about that

[alglove]

To quote the press release:


<< The companies also entered into a ten-year patent cross license agreement covering each company's products. >>


Both Intel and VIA will have to right to have access to each other's technologies for the next 10 years in order to make their own products.  This looks like it could include stuff like SSE2, Hyperthreading, etc.


<< As part of the agreement Intel granted VIA a license to sell microprocessors that are compatible with the x86 instruction set but not pin compatible or bus compatible with Intel microprocessors. >>


During this 10 year period, VIA is allowed to make x86 compatible CPUs like the C3.  However, they may not use the same sockets as Intel (sockets 370, 423, 478, etc.), nor may they use the same buses (e.g., Quad-Pumped 533 MHz FSB).  This is more or less the situation with AMD right now:  x86-compatible Athlon, but using Socket A and EV6 bus.


<< Intel further agreed for a period of three years, not to assert its patents on VIA bus or pin compatible microprocessors. >>


As an exception to the above, VIA will be allowed to continue making and selling CPUs that do use Intel sockets and buses for 3 years.  That means that the existing C3 processors are fine and legal from now until 2006.  Within that span of time, they can also make P4 compatible CPUs, if they want.


<< Intel also granted VIA a four year license to design and sell chip sets that are compatible with the Intel microprocessor bus and agreed not to assert its patents on VIA or its customers or distributors on such chip sets for a fifth year. >>


Another exception to the above.  VIA can continue making Intel-compatible chipsets until 2007, and it can continue to sell then until 2008.  So there's your answer.

Of course, it probably helps that the link now works.  

[hkoverclocker]

Reading through the above post cleared some things, however, I still think its kinda murky (then again all legal stuff is like this)



<< Both Intel and VIA will have to right to have access to each other's technologies for the next 10 years in order to make their own products. This looks like it could include stuff like SSE2, Hyperthreading, etc. >>



Regarding the ten year patent cross liscencing, its more of a way to share the current patents that both have been arguing over and not sharing new ones, haha, if Via had access to all the patents that Intel spent billions researching into, I doubt Intel would have agreed.

Regarding the C3s, that probably isn't a prob since VIA wants to make them all embedded onto boards anyway... but if this were the case, does that mean all buses designed and used by Intel can't be used by others? Wouldn't this include anything from 33mhz to 800mhz buses (quadpumped)

Still though, I think S3 is the most intresting of the bunch...wonder how they'll solve disputes there....  

[City Jim 3000]

I think anyone can make any Intel-compatible thing they want, if they just get a license.

Anyway, this looks promising. Would be cool if VIA and Intel actually can improve each other's stuff. Intel really needs some of the VIA "forward thinking" while VIA *desperately* needs some of Intel's stability

I don't think much of Intel's stuff will show up in VIA's AMD solutions though

[hkoverclocker]

<< I think anyone can make any Intel-compatible thing they want, if they just get a license.

Anyway, this looks promising. Would be cool if VIA and Intel actually can improve each other's stuff. Intel really needs some of the VIA "forward thinking" while VIA *desperately* needs some of Intel's stability

I don't think much of Intel's stuff will show up in VIA's AMD solutions though >>



Haha, Via's forward thinking ends up in shambles when it comes to implementations... Its hard to think about how Via will do in the chipset buisness, it has a rubbish intel chipset, and even if they could sell it, they'd be facing competition from SiS which is by all means better, with a similar price tag. And there Nvidia chewing away share of the AMD market...Via has a tough time on their hands... =P how about they forget the chipset buisness they are so bad at and just concentrate efforts on the epia? ^^

[hkoverclocker]

Intresting news coming out, it seems that Via has the rights for Pentium M chipsets http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8826

kinda dissapointed that Via seems to be alive again, with a pentium M liscense and with its pentium 4 chipsets now being sold to the huge manufactures like Asus and MSI.... (and here I was hoping that it would give up its rubbish chipset buisness.... -_-)

[ScutMonkey]

Good thing we're not www.viahardware.com anymore.  That was our lead/best story for several years!  Hehehehe.