Updated A US federal jury has awarded punitive damages of $3.5m against Rambus for using fraudulent means to file patents for high-speed memory technology.

The jury agreed with arguments presented by Infineon, the German chipmaker and Rambus nemesis, that Rambus had deliberately hidden its intention to file patents for SDRAM technology from JEDEC, an industry body charged with agreeing memory standards. Rambus then succeed in incorporating its technology into the supposedly open JEDEC standard, Infineon claimed.

Rambus says Infineon's JEDEC claims are "baseless"; it complied at all times with the group's "confusing" rules. It will of course appeal.

Infineon had sought more than $100m in damages from Rambus for this alleged subterfuge, but it will no doubt be delighted with the $3.5m award. All in all, it's been a good week in the courts for Infineon, the German chipmaker. First, it prevailed in the defence of patent claims and royalties on DDR DRAM sales brought against it by Rambus. Now it has Rambus on the run. ®

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Rambus Inc. to Appeal Verdict in Infineon Case