Intel has been ordered to recall and refrain from selling some of its CPUs in Germany, as a local court has ruled in favor of a rival company (R2 Semiconductor) that had accused Intel of infringing its patent. Intel plans to appeal, but this decision could lead to a wider ban of products (e.g., select HP and Dell products).
Affected chips:
- Ice Lake (10th Gen)
- Tiger Lake (11th Gen)
- Alder Lake (12th Gen)
- Ice Lake Server (Xeon)
Quotes:
- “Intel believes companies like R2, which appears to be a shell company whose only business is litigation, should not be allowed to obtain injunctions on CPUs [central processing units] and other critical components at the expense of consumers, workers, national security and the economy,” Intel said.
- “…unsurprising but disappointing that Intel continues to peddle its false narratives rather than taking responsibility for its repeated and chronic infringement of our patents,” said R2 chief executive David Fisher.
The Financial Times added:
…Fisher said that Intel had approached R2 about a potential investment, but pulled out when the process was in its final stages in 2015. Fisher said that Intel was the only entity R2 had sued for patent infringement.
…the German court has required the company to provide R2 with information regarding which patent-infringing products it has sold in Germany since March 2020 to allow it to calculate damages.