Hynix will not have to pay Rambus as much for infringing the memory technology company's patents as it had expected to after the judge presiding over the case slashed the damages awarded against it.

Judge Ronald Whyte of the Northern District of California yesterday said Hynix should pay $113.6m rather than the $306.5m a jury said in April this year it should cough up. The award was made after the jury found Hynix guilty of violating Rambus' intellectual property rights by incorporating without permission the latter's technology in SDRAM, DDR SDRAM and DDR 2 products.

Hynix complained that the award was excessive, and the judge concurred. For its part, Rambus must now decide whether to accept Judge Whyte's offer or push for a higher figure. During the trial, it suggested damages in the range $108.5m to $868m.

Meanwhile, the court has to respond to Hynix's claim that Rambus' patents are invalid, and to Rambus' request for an injunction banning Hynix from importing the offending memory products into the US. ®