Form Factor patent upheld by Korean Court

Wafer probe supplier FormFactor Inc. announced that the Korean Patent Court issued an oral ruling upholding the validity of the company's Korean Patent No. 252,457, in an apparent victory in the company's ongoing legal tussle with Korean test company Phicom Corp.

Form Factor has a broad IP portfolio in wafer test technologies, including MEMS-based wafer probe cards covered by the patent upheld.

Last October, the Korean patent court orally ruled that certain claims of two of four Korean patents asserted by FormFactor against Phicom Corp. were invalid in response to earlier legal action FormFactor filed against Phicom in the Seoul Southern District Court in Korea.

In March, FormFactor filed a patent suit against Phicom in the Federal District Court in Oregon, alleging Phicom infringed four U.S. patents covering its wafer probe cards.

"The Korean Patent Court decision recognizing the validity of our patent is an important milestone in our efforts to protect our innovations," said Stuart Merkadeau, FormFactor's senior VP and general counsel, in a statement. "FormFactor is committed to aggressively pursuing companies that misappropriate our valuable intellectual property rights, and we will continue to move forward with our infringement actions against Phicom Corp."

- Spencer Chin
EETimes