Verdict Reached on Whether Micron and Hynix Fixed Memory Prices

Rambus has been locked in a lawsuit against Micron and Hynix over whether or not the latter two conspired to keep its RDRAM out of the market through price fixing.

Now, a verdict has finally been reached, one that, though it may and will be appealed, sided with the defendants.

During the late nineties, Rambus was trying to promote the RDRAM memory technology.

The lawsuit claimed that Micron, Hynix and others worked together to prevent the RDRAM (Rambus-designed DRAM) from catching on.

Allegedly, they kept the price unnaturally high and constrained availability while being more generous with other DDR technologies.

The state court jury eventually found Micron and Hynix' own case to be stronger, so they ruled, on all counts, in favor of the two.

“We are very pleased that the jury considered all the evidence at issue in this case and determined that Rambus' allegations against Micron were completely without merit,” said Steve Appleton, Micron's chairman and chief executive officer.

“The jury's verdict validates our assertion that Micron acted in accordance with the law and consistent with its values of innovation and fair competition in the marketplace.”

The court was presided over by Judge James McBride in California Superior Court in San Francisco and, obviously, didn't exactly leave Rambus happy about things.

The licensing company intends to make an appeal and again try to prove that it really was Micron and Hynix that sabotaged it instead of, as they said, failing to succeed with RDRAM because of business practices, high manufacturing costs and other drawbacks.

“We are disappointed with this verdict as we believe strongly in our case. We thank our legal team and everyone who has supported Rambus in this case over the past seven years. We do not agree with several rulings that affected how this case was presented to the jury and we are reviewing our options for appeal” said Harold Hughes, president and chief executive officer of Rambus.