The Intel Corporation once again proving why they are one of the most detestable and heinous corporations amongst the industry.
A German regional court has issued a restraining order that prohibits Intel from selling certain models of its Core series CPUs, following a court ruling. The company, known for its history of influencing OEM vendors to restrict or prevent orders for superior AMD Athlon 64 processors through bribery, is currently embroiled in a dispute over alleged patent infringement with R2 Semiconductor, a California-based company.
According to reports from the Financial Times, R2 Semiconductor has asserted its ownership of a patent related to voltage-regulating technology in chips. As a result, the company has successfully challenged Intel, leading to a suspension in the sales of several of Intel’s consumer processors, including those in the Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, and Alder Lake lineups, as well as server-oriented Ice Lake Xeon processors.
The prohibition of Ice Lake and Tiger Lake-based chips is unlikely to significantly impact Intel’s sales. However, the restriction against Alder Lake could pose a minor setback.
This is because Intel has often repurposed previous-generation Alder Lake silicon for non-K offerings within the 13th and 14th Generation lineup, particularly for various Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs, such as the i5-13400 and the i3-14100 despite both of which being dubbed “Raptor Lake Refresh” regardless.
Ain’t that a goddamn “core truth” for you.
As usual, Intel has denied the allegations, asserting that R2 Semiconductors is engaged in unethical strategies by pursuing “serial lawsuits” against major tech companies themselves.
“R2 files serial lawsuits to extract large sums from innovators like Intel,” a statement by Intel reads. “R2 first filed suit against Intel in the U.S., but after Intel invalidated R2’s low-quality U.S. patent R2 shifted its campaign against Intel to Europe. Intel believes companies like R2, which appears to be a shell company whose only business is litigation, should not be allowed to obtain injunctions on CPUs and other critical components at the expense of consumers, workers, national security, and the economy.”
R2 Semiconductors has welcomed the court’s ruling and is moving forward with efforts to completely halt the sales of the aforementioned lineups, while also initiating product recalls for the infringing CPUs.
The company contends that Intel initially showed interest in its “Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) technology” but later opted not to pursue it further.
David Fisher, R2’s Chief Executive, asserts that the company has only taken legal action against Intel thus far, refuting Intel’s claim of R2 Semiconductors engaging in unethical practices.
We are delighted that the highly respected German court has issued an injunction and unequivocally found that Intel has infringed R2’s patents for integrated voltage regulators. We intend to enforce this injunction and protect our valuable intellectual property. The global patent system is here precisely for the purpose of protecting inventors like myself and R2 Semiconductor.
– David Fisher, Chief Executive of R2 Semiconductors
David Fisher emphasized R2’s extensive experience as a semiconductor IP developer, comparable to industry giants like Arm and Rambus, spanning over 15 years. He disclosed that Intel and R2 were in the final stages of an investment deal in 2015, which Intel unilaterally terminated.
So essentially, Intel pretended to buy, got access to their patented technology and made a run for it. What detestable bastards.
R2’s leader asserts that Intel is the sole company that R2 has ever taken legal action against, contradicting Intel’s accusation of R2 being a patent troll, which again is typical procedure for a heinous corporation such as Intel.
“That is how these lawsuits emerged, and Intel is the only entity R2 has ever accused of violating its patents,” Fisher stated. “It is unsurprising but disappointing that Intel continues to peddle its false narratives rather than taking responsibility for its repeated and chronic infringement of our patents.”
Fisher mentioned that R2 had inquired about the accuracy of a technical paper published by Intel regarding their FIVR technology, which was then being integrated into their chips.
However, the communication abruptly ceased, and the next correspondence came from Intel’s patent counsel. This sequence of events led Fisher to believe that Intel was utilizing R2’s patented technology in their chips without proper acknowledgment or compensation.”
The noteworthy aspect of this court ruling isn’t solely the negligence and corruption within the American court system, but rather the potential impact on Intel Core processor sales through retailers like Mindfactory.
Mindfactory, a prominent German retailer and one of the largest in Europe, regularly sells Alder Lake CPUs. Recent sales figures indicate that the Core i5-12400/F, for instance, saw 80 units sold during the fourth week of 2024.
If Alder Lake were to effectively be pulled from German stores, this will undoubtedly impact Intel’s sales by a perceivable margin at least when it comes to Mindfactory’s sales data.
