MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Rambus Inc. said Thursday (March 23) it is asking the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to conduct an investigation about patent infringement by Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc., Sega Enterprises Ltd. and Sega of America, and to ban the import and sales of their products. Rambus is asking that Hitachi's SDRAM, double-date-rate SDRAM, and SH series microprocessors be banned, along with Sega's Dreamcast game console, which uses Hitachi's SH microprocessor.
Rambus had filed a patent infringement suit against Hitachi and Hitachi Semiconductor (America) this past January in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, charging those companies with infringing its patents concerning a high-speed interface. Rambus filed another suit in February to the same court. This ban requested of the ITC is the third action against Rambus has brought against the alleged patent infringement.
Hitachi declined comment on Rambus' request to the ITC, stating that it had not received related documents.
Sega said it is just one of many users of the general-purpose SH processors, and said it is asking Hitachi about the suit, a Sega spokesman said.
