WTO backs Hynix over US DRAM duties
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The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said that the US should not have imposed import duties on South Korean memory maker Hynix. However, early indications suggest the US may be preparing to appeal against the judgement.
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The World Trade Organisation said Monday it would rule on a dispute between the European Union and the United States over the way Washington assesses anti-dumping duties.
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Stiff sanctions on US exports ranging from almonds to ski jackets intended to punish Washington for failing to repeal the so-called Byrd amendment were approved by the World Trade Organisation today.
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(InfoWorld) - Qimonda, the world's second largest DRAM (dynamic RAM) maker, has expanded a technology and production pact with Taiwan's Winbond Electronics to provide the company with 80-nanometer manufacturing technology. The deal extends Qimonda's strategy of sharing its research and development expenses by licensing out chip manufacturing technology to partners such as Winbond, Nanya Technology, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. of China. The deals also help Qimonda control costs. The company sources chips from these companies, enabling it to rely on them for a steady supply of DRAM without having to spend billions of dollars on new chip factories. The German company,Â formerly the memory chip divisionÂ of Infineon Technologies, will also continue to source chips from Winbond, it said in a statement. The deal extends a partnership begun in 2002, when Infineon agreed to transfer its 110nm technology to Winbond in return for a portion of its output.
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(InfoWorld) - A day after winning a patent infringement lawsuit against a Taiwanese memory chip maker Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. has filed to have the chips in question barred from Japan. TheÂ Tokyo District Court Thursday upheld Fujitsu claims that DRAM (dynamic RAM) memory chips made by Nanya Technology Corp. infringed upon patents held by Fujitsu. The court granted an injunction against future import and sales of the chips. Fujitsu said Friday it had filed an application with Japan's customs authority to suspend import of the DRAM chips under the country's customs law. The lawsuit concerned a patent related to a technology for improving the speed of DDR SDRAM (double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM) memory chips and was filed just over two years ago after talks between the two companies produced no agreement on patent licensing. "We've been in IP discussions [with Fujitsu] for a while. It's regretful that we have not reached an agreement yet," said Pai Pei-lin, vice president of sales at Nanya Technology Corp. The case with Fujitsu probably won't have much impact on Nanya in the near term, he said, because it's been going on for a while and the company has already made contingency plans. Nanya will most likely appeal the decision, but company lawyers will have to take a close look at the ruling before making such a decision, he said. Nanya is fighting a similar case with Fujitsu in the U.S., but the proceedings there look more favorable for Nanya than the Japan ruling, he added. Â
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SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea&#39;s Hynix Semiconductor Inc. said Monday its third-quarter net profit more than tripled from same period last year thanks to steady global prices for memory chips.
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TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japan&#39;s Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it has field suit against South Korea&#39;s Hynix Semiconductor Inc. in Japan and the United States, alleging infringement of Toshiba&#39;s semiconductor flash memory patents.
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The World Trade Organization cleared the way on Thursday to impose $150 million of trade sanctions on the United States, sought by the European Union and others, after lawyers resolved a legal wrangle.
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Toshiba is taking action to protect its patents. The Japan-based company has accused Hynix Semiconductor of violating seven patents in the United States, including ones for DRAM, and three flash-memory patents in Japan.
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In the latest squabble over patents between Japanese and South Korean electronics giants, Toshiba has sued Hynix Semiconductor&#39;s Japan and US units, alleging patent infringement in flash-memory
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The European Union said Wednesday it has selected U.S. products to punish with tariffs next year if Washington doesn't quickly repeal an antidumping law ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization.
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Toshiba on Tuesday underlined the growing determination of Japanese companies to protect their intellectual property rights, announcing legal action in Japan and the US against Hynix of South Korea for alleged infringement of its memory chip patents.
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SEOUL Hynix Semiconductor, the world&#39;s second-largest maker of computer memory chips, was responsible in 1999 for accounting violations involving 2 trillion won, or $1.
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The World Trade Organization gave final approval on Friday to the European Union, Japan and others to hit the United States with an initial &#36;150 million in trade sanctions in a dispute over an illegal anti-dumping law.
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(InfoWorld) - Hynix Semiconductor and STMicroelectronicsÂ plan to start making memory chips on advanced production lines at a $2 billion chip plant in China next week. The project, which was inaugurated in November of 2004, will be one of the most advanced chip facilities in China, producing DRAM (dynamic RAM) as well as NAND flash memory chips on 300-millimeter silicon wafers. Hynix ST Semiconductor, which is the name of the joint venture, was built in Wuxi City, a few hours from Shanghai. The company is just the second in China to start producing chips on 300mm silicon wafers, from which thousands of chips can be made. The 300mm technology isn't easy to import into China due to U.S. export restrictions on machinery with the potential to produce items used by China's military, such as advanced chips used in missile guidance systems. The joint venture company is 67 percent owned by Hynix and 33 percent by STMicro. The companies expect the new plant to feed memory chips to the burgeoning contract PC and consumer electronics makers in China.
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(InfoWorld) - Samsung Electronics, the world's largest DRAM (dynamic RAM) maker, agreed to pay $90 million in a DRAM price fixing suit raised by a group of U.S. state governments, the first company named in the suit to reach such an accord. Samsung also agreed to assist the states in resolving price-fixing charges against other defendants named in the suit, the Office of the New York State Attorney General said in a statement on Tuesday. The agreement ends the case against Samsung. TheÂ lawsuit was filed last JulyÂ by New York and 40 other U.S. states in a joint antitrust effort against several DRAM (dynamic RAM) makers over alleged price-fixing, adding to industry woes amid an ongoing federal investigation that has already led to $731 million in fines. They alleged the companies violated antitrust laws and harmed consumers by conspiring to fix prices through artificial supply restraints, dividing markets among themselves and rigging bids on DRAM contracts during a four year period between 1998 and 2002. The price fixing scheme caused computer makers such as Apple and DellÂ to pay more for DRAM than they would have in a competitive market, the suit alleged, and the costs were then passed on to consumers. The Samsung settlement will be used to benefit victims of high DRAM prices, with $80 million going to consumers and other victims, and $10 million being paid out to state and local governments. New York's attorney general said the state's specific share of the settlement will be determined in the future. Samsung's Seoul office declined to comment on the settlement, saying its U.S. subsidiary was handling all issues regarding the case. Hynix Semiconductor, another company named in the suit, said it is too early to tell what impact the Samsung deal may have on the case. "We're still looking into the matter. We haven't decided anything yet," said Kim Ah-Young, a Hynix representative. The accord with Samsung is subject to approval by the federal court in San Francisco. The litigation will continue against other DRAM makers named in the suit, including U.S.-based Micron Technology, Infineon Technologies of Germany, South Korea's Hynix, Japan's Elpida Memory and NEC Electronics America, Taiwan's Mosel Vitelic and Nanya TechnologyÂ as well as their U.S. subsidiaries. The case by the states started after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation had already led to several guilty pleas, which resulted in millions of dollars in fines and jail time for a dozen individuals from four companies. In late 2005,Â Samsung was ordered to payÂ a $300 million criminal fine in the DOJ case, while South Korean rivalÂ Hynix Semiconductor agreed to payÂ $185 million. Infineon Technologies, of Germany, wasÂ first to pay a fineÂ of $160 million, in late 2004. Earlier last year, Japan'sÂ Elpida Memory agreed to plead guiltyÂ and pay a $84 million fine.
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A US trade body has agreed to comply with a NAFTA panel ruling concluding Canadian softwood lumber imports are no threat to the US industry.