Patent infringement dispute puts Taiwan company head to head with US company
Fairchild Semiconductor has announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Taiwan-based Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, (AOS).
Fairchild alleges that AOS power transistor products infringe at least four Fairchild U.S. patents, including Nos. 6,429,481; 6,521,497; 6,710,406; and 6,828,195. Fairchild seeks money damages as well as an injunction preventing AOS from selling or importing infringing AOS products into the United States.Fairchild initiated discussions with AOS in 2005 and since then has attempted to negotiate a license to the Fairchild patents at issue.
AOS states it had previously filed a complaint alleging that Fairchild's products infringed patents purchased by AOS. Fairchild has not been served with that complaint. Fairchild has reviewed the patents listed in the AOS statement and believes those patents are either invalid or not infringed by Fairchild's products.
"AOS has chosen to take this dispute to the courts and we have no choice but to respond in kind," said Izak Bencuya, executive vice president and general manager for Fairchild's Functional Power Group. "We intend to enforce our intellectual property rights, preferably through negotiated license agreements, and if necessary through the courts."
