OPTi Inc. CEO beat Intel and Apple. Who’s next?

[god_43]

Don’t call OPTi Inc. CEO Bernie Marren a “patent troll.”

True, Palo Alto-based OPTi, which won a $21.7 million patent infringement award against Apple Inc. last week, only has three employees, doesn’t make any products and exists only to license technology and pursue patent litigation against Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Nvidia Corp., Apple and others.


http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/12/14/story1.html?b=1260766800^2576371

it was never fair competition back then against intel....


:clap::up:

[clo007]

I am glad they won! They deserve it!!!

[jakefalcons]

I find it sad that a company that shouldn't even exist anymore can hold back innovation on so many fronts. If they couldn't make it as a company they shouldn't be allowed to sue other companies over intellectual infringements.

[Russian]

I find it sad that a company that shouldn't even exist anymore can hold back innovation on so many fronts. If they couldn't make it as a company they shouldn't be allowed to sue other companies over intellectual infringements.

Do you understand? They had almost 300 people in the company... and then they got wrecked by the very competitors that they've won settlements against. Think about it, their competitors used their technology without paying for it and effectively killed OPTi using their own technology. Last time i checked, OPTi wasn't breaking the rules and their patents that used to make them money were being used against them without their permission which brought them to lose money because those companies using their technology illegally were stealing marketshare from them.

[Piotrsama]

Are they using the money from the settlements to develop new technologies? No.
Are they employing new people to design new products? No.
Do they keep sueing other companies? Yes.

Sounds like Rambus 2 to me.

Yes, I read this:

Marren, meanwhile, is still making semiconductors, not just legal trouble for others. This year he started Linear Silicon Solutions Inc., a San Diego producer of semiconductors, his fourth startup. And he sits on the board of two publicly traded technology companies in Texas.
But Opti per se, it's not doing anything besides sueing.

[Russian]

Are they using the money from the settlements to develop new technologies? No.
Are they employing new people to design new products? No.
Do they keep sueing other companies? Yes.

Sounds like Rambus 2 to me.

Yes, I read this:

But Opti per se, it's not doing anything besides sueing.

Maybe they can hire more people back once they get some more money rolling?

If they don't... then i'll say they're a patent troll.

[Manicdan]

Marren said he was thrilled that Intel agreed last month to pay AMD $1.25 billion to settle a dispute over alleged unfair business practices.

“Now they can’t claim they don’t have money to pay us,” he said.

i guess he forgot that AMD is still 3 billion in debt.

i also dont quite get why they are doing this. they should have sued them back when they were in business, but all the sudden once they get run over by intel, they all the sudden just want to sue people, instead of trying to run a business.

[initialised]

Maybe they can hire more people back once they get some more money rolling?

If they don't... then i'll say they're a patent troll.Switching from hardware to patents did't do IBM any harm.

[Russian]

Switching from hardware to patents did't do IBM any harm.

Yes, but they still do a lot of hardware R&D and they also do a lot of licensing... they have less employees now... but on the same coin they're not going around suing everyone with only 3 employees. Comparing these guys to IBM is kind of a joke.

[Chock]

the way some ppl argue here is a joke.

if they went out of business because others stole their intelectual property, they should sue the :banana::banana::banana::banana: out of any company that caused them to do urgz:(

[Zaskar]

i guess he forgot that AMD is still 3 billion in debt.

i also dont quite get why they are doing this. they should have sued them back when they were in business, but all the sudden once they get run over by intel, they all the sudden just want to sue people, instead of trying to run a business.

Its a strategy that really shouldn't be allowed. They don't sue when it first happens, they wait and wait, letting them keep using it, making more and more sales, then sue when they figure the amount of money they can get is at its height.

[villa1n]

Its a strategy that really shouldn't be allowed. They don't sue when it first happens, they wait and wait, letting them keep using it, making more and more sales, then sue when they figure the amount of money they can get is at its height.

Exactly, this is the problem with the whole patent process, especially in the USA, its completely predatory and anti innovation, they are not protecting their property and using it, they are patenting and holding it like a piece of real estate.

[clo007]

Are they using the money from the settlements to develop new technologies? No.
Are they employing new people to design new products? No.
Do they keep sueing other companies? Yes.

Actually they are paying back share holders with the winnings. How many other companies would do that? None!!!

[dietwaterrr]

Its a strategy that really shouldn't be allowed. They don't sue when it first happens, they wait and wait, letting them keep using it, making more and more sales, then sue when they figure the amount of money they can get is at its height.

hmm, but there's also the fact...maybe all those companies should have just legally purchased a license from OPTi in the first place.

[RVWinkle]

Opti isn't around anymore because they made shoddy, second-rate products. Their motherboard chipsets were a step below VIA in terms of quality.

[Nedjo]

Opti isn't around anymore because they made shoddy, second-rate products. Their motherboard chipsets were a step below VIA in terms of quality.
+1!

[m.fox]

hmm, but there's also the fact...maybe all those companies should have just legally purchased a license from OPTi in the first place.

Do you think business and money know ethics? ;)

[irev210]

Opti isn't around anymore because they made shoddy, second-rate products. Their motherboard chipsets were a step below VIA in terms of quality.


I used to build rigs using OPTi Viper chipsets. They worked great, very stable and cheap for the time.