IBM Charges ASUS With Patent Infringement

InformationWeek

IBM Charges ASUS With Patent Infringement

In its ITC filing, IBM says it has repeatedly tried to reach a
licensing agreement with ASUS.

By W. David Gardner, InformationWeek
Dec. 6, 2007
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story...tml?articleID=
204702058

IBM reported Thursday that it filed a complaint with the United States
International Trade Commission against Taiwan computer and components
manufacturer ASUSTeK.

The complaint alleges that ASUS and its North American subsidiary, ASUS
Computer International, are infringing three IBM patents. The charge
comes as the new ASUS ultra-mobile computer, the Eee PC, is reaching
U.S. consumers. ASUS has said that it expects to sell 3.8 million units
of the tiny computer.

IBM said it made repeated attempts to reach a licensing agreement with
ASUS before it filed the complaint. In a release, IBM said, "IBM's
position has been -- and remains -- that ASUSTek either must license or
stop using IBM's patented technology."

IBM listed three alleged offending patents: U.S. Patent No. 5,008,829,
Personal computer power supply; U.S. Patent No. 5,249,741, Automatic
fan speed control; and U.S. Patent No. 5,371,852, Method and apparatus
for making a cluster of computers appear as a single host on a network.

Taken together, the three patents cover a range of computer systems
aspects including power supplies, computer cooling, and computer
clustering capabilities, IBM said. The U.S. company noted that the U.S.
ITC, an independent federal agency, has authority to bar the import of
foreign-built products that are deemed to infringe U.S. patents.

ASUS was not immediately available for comment.