Lawyers predict FTC's Rambus case will move forward
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WASHINGTON - Two lawyers on federal regulatory issues predicted Thursday the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would ignore a recommendation by an administrative law judge to end its antitrust case against Rambus Inc.
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(InfoWorld) - Six months afterÂ U.S. regulators capped royalties that vendors must pay to Rambus, the European Union (EU) is taking a close look at the company's monopoly on the DRAM (dynamic RAM) chip market. On July 30, the European Commission (EC) issued a preliminary "Statement of Objections" finding that the Los Altos, Calif., company violated EU competition law by not disclosing that it owned relevant patents during the development of the DRAM standard. DRAM chips provide the memory in computers. The existence of this Statement of Objections was disclosed Thursday in a Commission press release. "Rambus engaged in intentional deceptive conduct in the context of the standard-setting process, for example by not disclosing the existence of the patents which it later claimed were relevant to the adopted standard," the statement said. "This type of behavior is known as a 'patent ambush.'" Against this background, the Commission provisionally considers that Rambus breached the EC Treaty's rules on abuse of a dominant market position." "Without its 'patent ambush,' Rambus would not have been able to charge the royalty rates it currently does," the statement said. Rambus now has nine weeks to respond before the Commission will decide whether or not the company is in violation of European law. Earlier this year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered Rambus to license its DRAM technology to other vendors and put a cap on the royalties it can charge. Rambus's patent claims have also been the subject of numerous lawsuits between Rambus and chip makers who reject the company's patent claims. "These are largely the same issues examined by a number of US courts, the Federal Trade Commission, and currently before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," said Thomas Lavelle, Rambus's senior vice president and general counsel, in a statement. "We are studying the Statement of Objections and plan to respond in due course."
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Final approval appears likely this week for a bill sending multiparty cases from state to federal court.
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The Supreme Court is about to plunge into an agenda laden with issues effecting the business sector. Tobacco companies, the biotech industry and operators of coal-fired power plants have a stake in cases the court will hear in the next month.
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Lawyers will decide who gets these Academy Awards.
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MONTREAL (CP) - The May 2 trial date for the former head of the federal sponsorship program is too close to a potentially damaging inquiry and may undermine his trial, his lawyer said Monday.
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The U.S. administrative proceeding  looking into the merger of organic grocers Wild Oats and Whole  Foods Markets Inc.  has not been stopped despite a loss  in district court, but Federal Trade Commission Chairman  Deborah Majoras said on Tuesday the FTC rarely presses on after  losing a court fight.
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Plaintiffs say they expect to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a case that exonerated the I.B.M. CorporationÂs cash-balance pension plan.
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Suits brought by victims of the largest data breach in US history could be resolved in court soon.
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ROME, Ga. -- Jurors hearing the federal lawsuit against former Tri-State Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh were sent home early Wednesday to give lawyers an opportunity to discuss a possible settlement in the case.
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Probes by Attorney General Mukasey and others could help determine how far the controversy reaches.
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Deliberate bugging of conversations with lawyers could see trials halted and convictions overturned
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Analysis: Many legal experts think it won't survive motions to dismiss based on claims of presidential immunity, but it may not be that simple
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WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will consider a technology patent case that could have far-reaching ramifications for computer makers and other industries with global supply chains.
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Six months after U.S. regulators capped royalties that vendors must pay to Rambus Inc., the European Union (EU) is taking a close look at the company&#39;s monopoly on the DRAM (dynamic RAM) chip market.
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Wesley Snipes' federal tax-evasion trial will go forward next month in this central Florida city, despite arguments by the actor's lawyers.
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The Supreme Court is about to plunge into an agenda laden with issues affecting the business sector. Tobacco companies, the biotech industry and operators of coal-fired power plants have a stake in cases the court will hear in the next month.