Power Integrations Wins Patent Case Filed by Fairchild Semiconductor in China
Power Integrations announced that a Chinese court has ruled in the company's favor in infringement proceedings filed against it by Fairchild Semiconductor and its System General subsidiary. After more than two years of litigation, the Suzhou Intermediate Court has found that Power Integrations does not infringe any of the patents asserted by Fairchild in the case.
The decision follows three previous findings of infringement against Fairchild and its System General (SG) subsidiary in cases brought by Power Integrations. In 2006, Fairchild was found in a U.S. federal district court to infringe four Power Integrations patents, and a permanent injunction was issued against more than 100 infringing Fairchild products.
The infringement was later found to be willful, resulting in enhancement of the damage award, which currently stands at $12 million; the results of that case are currently under appeal. Also in 2006, the International Trade Commission found that SG infringed two Power Integrations patents. Earlier this year, Fairchild was again found to violate two of the same patents found to be infringed in the 2006 district-court decision; Power Integrations is seeking additional damages as well as an injunction against the 75 Fairchild products implicated in that decision.
Fairchild was contacted but was not available in time for our publication deadline.
Commented Balu Balakrishnan, president and CEO of Power Integrations: "We are gratified that the Chinese authorities have rejected Fairchild's baseless claims of infringement and recognized, like others before them, which of these two companies is the true innovator."
