FEB. 15 San Jose, California–Silicon Valley Group, Inc. (SVG) has resolved the last of its legal disputes with six vendors of semiconductor processing and manufacturing equipment. In July 1999, SVG filed suit against Semi Pro Microservice, Inc., Teleparts International, Inc., C&D Semiconductor Services, Inc., Site Services, Inc., AIO Corporation, and Rite Track Equipment Services, Inc. in the Northern District of California. SVG alleged in its complaint that each of the six vendors had infringed the copyrights owned by SVG in software resident on its 8X series equipment by duplicating or modifying that software in the refurbishment and sale of equipment.

Over the past year, SVG resolved its claims against all six defendants. Most recently, SVG settled its claims against Rite Track Equipment Services, Inc. and granted the company a license to use and modify SVG’s 8X software for use in SVG’s refurbished 8X products, and a license to use and modify SVG’s 8X software for use in Rite Track’s 88e product. In addition, SVG granted Rite Track a trademark license for the use of the model number “88e” in connection with the Rite Track 88e product. The remaining terms of the settlement are confidential.

“We are pleased that we have been able to resolve these disputes, and we are satisfied that the resolutions protect SVG’s intellectual property,” says Boris Lipkin, president of SVG’s Track Systems Division.