ITC Bans MediaTek Chipsets From US Market

[Ian]

Bad news for MediaTek and the companies that use their chipsets...

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050928/sfw122.html?.v=1

In a significant victory for Zoran Corporation, today the United States International Trade Commission ("ITC") issued orders finding that Zoran's United States Patent No. 6,584,527 is valid and infringed by optical disk controller chips and chipsets sold by MediaTek and by a number of MediaTek customers using the infringing chips and chipsets.

The ITC also issued an exclusion order prohibiting MediaTek and specified MediaTek customers from importing into the United States any MediaTek optical disk controller chip or chipset, and any optical disk storage product containing such a chip or chipset that infringes claim 3 of the patent.

Contrary to MediaTek's prior predictions to the press, the ITC's exclusion order is not limited to prior generation MediaTek chips and chipsets, but instead encompasses all past, current and future MediaTek chips and chipsets that infringe claim 3 of the '527 patent. The exclusion order also encompasses all past, current and future products made or sold by specified MediaTek customers that use infringing MediaTek chips and chipsets.

I wonder what Lite-On is going to do. Most of their drives are based on MediaTek chipsets.

[cfitz]

I wonder what Lite-On is going to do. Most of their drives are based on MediaTek chipsets.

It looks like Lite-On made more than one mistake when they chose MediaTek chipsets for their DVD burners.

If this had happened in the days when Lite-On was the value+feature king of the CD burner world, I would have been upset. But frankly, given Lite-On's less than stellar performance in the DVD burner era, this news really doesn't bother me. Still, it is a little sad to see how far they have fallen.

cfitz

[dolphinius_rex]

Hrm... I wonder if that means that we'll be seeing a huge influx of LiteON drives in Canada??

[Scour]

Hello!

Samsung and Toshiba uses MTK-chipsets, too.

[dolphinius_rex]

Hello!

Samsung and Toshiba uses MTK-chipsets, too.

That's ok, no one cares about them

[Scour]

Hello!

Samsung and Toshiba uses MTK-chipsets, too.

That's ok, no one cares about them

That´s hard

[code65536]

Some of LG's CD-RW, combo, and DVD-ROM drives use Mtk as well (I could never keep track of which is Mtk and which is not). And lots of set-top players also use Mtk. The majority of Mtk's chips don't go to LiteOn (though they are probably the most recognizable name under the Mtk flag).

[Scour]

Some of LG's CD-RW, combo, and DVD-ROM drives use Mtk as well (I could never keep track of which is Mtk and which is not). And lots of set-top players also use Mtk. The majority of Mtk's chips don't go to LiteOn (though they are probably the most recognizable name under the Mtk flag).

LG´s CD-Writers used in the past MTK-chipsets.

BTC uses MTK, too, I guess.

And some DVD-Players do the same-

It matters only in USA or also in other countries?

[Ian]

According to that press release, the ITC has also issued cease and desist orders against Atronix, ASUS, EPO, Lite-On, MSI and TEAC.

[Wesociety]

Hello!

Samsung and Toshiba uses MTK-chipsets, too.

If you're referring to Toshiba DVD burners --> true Toshiba designed/built DVD burners such as the SD-R5372 use a Toshiba chipset.

[code65536]

So what exactly is this "Zoran" anyway? Anyone ever heard of them until now? Apprently, the patent in question is a patent that Zoran acquired when it purchased Oak Technologies.

So... claim 3... it's just a patent on hooking up a CD drive to a computer using the IDE bus and ATA commands? How original. Are other chipsets in violation of this too, or have they been paying patent fees?

[Scour]

If you're referring to Toshiba DVD burners --> true Toshiba designed/built DVD burners such as the SD-R5372 use a Toshiba chipset.

I know, but those writers are awful, even without MTK-chipsets.

The 5472 have a MTK

[Wesociety]

Some USA based "rebadgers" actually welcomed this news because they will not have to deal with LiteOn anymore...

[Ian]

Some USA based "rebadgers" actually welcomed this news because they will not have to deal with LiteOn anymore...

These rebadgers can't hate Lite-On too much because they continue to use their hardware.

[Gabe]

Some USA based "rebadgers" actually welcomed this news because they will not have to deal with LiteOn anymore...

Don´t know the USA-rebadgers, but I´m sure they can´t make from one day to next day a new deal with an other manufacturer

But when LiteOn can´t sell in USA, maybe the german market will be flood with LiteOn

[Ian]

Mediatek has finally responded..

http://www.mtk.com.tw/press_room/20050929_en.pdf

[dodecahedron]

legal doubletalk.
you can't tell whom to belive.

[Ian]

According to DigiTimes, Zoran wants to settle for $200 million.

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060125PB214.html

US-based Zoran is rumored to have requested a settlement fee of US$200 million from MediaTek, higher than the settlement fee MediaTek paid to ESS Technology, according to a report in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN).

[MediumRare]

This doesn't seem to have stopped LiteOn (and others) from selling drives in the US in the past 4 months. Just how binding is that order- or did they circumvent it by going to the 5S series?

G

[Ian]

Lite-On might have cut their own deal with Zoran. They are a few months behind Europe and Asia though as far as new drive models go.