LOS ALTOS, Calif., Dec 09, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS), one of the world's premier technology
licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures,
today announced that the European Commission (the "Commission") has
accepted commitments proposed by Rambus to resolve the matter that had
been pending with the Commission. This decision by the Commission brings
the matter to a close. As part of the settlement, the Commission makes
no finding of liability, and no fine will be assessed against Rambus.
Rambus, for its part, commits to offer licenses with maximum royalty
rates for certain memory types and memory controllers on a forward-going
basis.
"We are pleased to have this matter closed with the Commission.
Following a long and detailed examination of the facts, the Commission
did not find that Rambus violated the law, nor did it impose any fine,"
said Thomas Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel at
Rambus. "For our part, we agree to offer licenses at attractive rates
for customers to use our patented innovations in computing and
electronics products for consumers worldwide."
Rambus offers licenses with maximum royalty rates for five-year
worldwide licenses of 1.5% for DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3 and GDDR4 SDRAM memory
types. Qualified Licensees will enjoy a royalty holiday for SDR and DDR
DRAM devices, subject to compliance with the terms of the license. In
addition, Rambus offers licenses with maximum royalty rates for
five-year worldwide licenses of 1.5% per unit for SDR memory controllers
through April 2010, dropping to 1.0% thereafter, and royalty rates of
2.65% per unit for DDR, DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3 and GDDR4 memory controllers
through April 2010, then dropping to 2.0%. Rambus will offer these
licensing rates for the next five years. The royalty rates are
applicable to future shipments only, and do not resolve any existing
claims in other cases.
The European Commission originally brought charges against Rambus in
August 2007alleging violation of European Union competition law.
The Commission's investigation followed complaints set forth by certain
DRAM manufacturers originating with Rambus' 1992-1995 participation in
an industry standard-setting organization, the Joint Electron Device
Engineering Council ("JEDEC"). Similar charges had been pursued by the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States. The FTC has closed
its investigation following a series of U.S. Court rulings underlining
that the allegations of Rambus' wrongdoing were ill-founded. On June 12,
2009, the European Commission announced its intention to accept Rambus'
proposed commitments, subject to market testing as prescribed by EU law.
Following the market testing, certain terms of the Commitment were
amended by Rambus resulting in this matter coming to a close.
About Rambus Inc.
Rambus is one of the world's premier technology licensing companies
specializing in the invention and design of high-speed memory
architectures. Since its founding in 1990, the Company's patented
innovations, breakthrough technologies and renowned integration
expertise have helped industry-leading chip and system companies bring
superior products to market. Rambus' technology and products solve
customers' most complex chip and system-level interface challenges
enabling unprecedented performance in computing, communications and
consumer electronics applications. Rambus licenses both its world-class
patent portfolio as well as its family of leadership and
industry-standard interface products. Headquartered in Los Altos,
California, Rambus has regional offices in North Carolina, India,
Germany, Japan and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.
RMBSLN
SOURCE: Rambus Inc.
Rambus Public Relations
Linda Ashmore, 650-947-5411
lashmore@rambus.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009