LSI and Agere Systems settle with ITC respondants
We've covered the value of ITC 337 actions in prior posts, and the recent events have continued the trend. MagnaChip has settled its patent dispute before the ITC with LSI and Agere Systems. On July 21, the Administrative Law Judge issued an initial determination terminating the investigation against MagnaChip after it reached a settlement and patent licensing agreement. Just the previous week, two respondents, Microchip Technology and Dongbu HiTek Semiconductor were also dropped from the suit based on a settlement with the complainants.
The settlement terms are all confidential, which makes it difficult to analyze any settlement trends. With flat to sequential growth in the semiconductor industry, respondents may be more open to settlement in order to conserve resources and capitalize on market opportunities. On the other hand, complainants may be more open to settlement in light of the fact that many competitors are struggling and are unable to pay out large settlements.
