The Italian Court of Appeal has thrown out Rambus' motion to have production of SDRAM suspended at Micron's memory plant in Avezano, Italy.

The two companies' next meeting in the Italian court is unlikely to take place before next year, by which time the two will have faced each other in the US court.

Rambus had asked the Italian court to grant it an injunction against Micron, preventing it from producing SDRAM until its allegations of patent infringement made against Micron have been judged. When the court rejected its request, Rambus took its case to the appeals court.

The Court of Appeal's ruling represents a minor victory for Micron. The action brought against it by Rambus will continue, as will its own countersuit against Rambus. True, it can continue to produce SDRAM at the plant, but given the current market conditions, that's perhaps not the blessing it might at first seem. ®