Fairchild, Power Integration renew patent spat

April 12, 2006 – Fairchild Semiconductor, South Portland, ME, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Power Integrations Inc. in US District Court in Texas, continuing a two-year dispute over semiconductor technologies.

The suit alleges Power Integrations’ pulse width modulation products uses technology relating to high-voltage lateral semiconductor devices, a patent owned by coplaintiff Intersil Corp., and licensed by Fairchild since 2001.

The two companies have been in litigation since 2004 in a Delaware court, where Power Integrations accused Fairchild of using its technology relating to circuits and high-voltage transistor structures in power conversion applications.

Tom Beaver, Fairchild’s EVP for worldwide sales and marketing, said that the new litigation concerns a patent “that pre-dates Power Integrations’ patents by at least fifteen months.” The company is seeking monetary damages as well as a court order to stop sales and import of infringing products into the US.

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