Ruling favors Power Integrations' patent claims vs. Fairchild

Power conversion IC supplier Power Integrations announced that a jury has upheld the validity of all four patents the company asserted in its patent-infringement lawsuit against Fairchild Semiconductor.

In October 2006, a separate jury found that Fairchild willfully infringed the four Power Integrations patents, and awarded the company damages of approximately $34 million.

Following the ruling, the company will request a permanent injunction against the continued manufacture, importation and sale of the infringing Fairchild parts. The said parts are currently found in end products such as cellphone chargers, DVD players, TV STBs and LCD monitors. The list should not be considered comprehensive; Power Integrations will ask that the injunction extend to parts that are not materially different from those listed.

In addition, Power Integrations will also request enhancement of the damage award based on the prior jury's finding of willfulness. Separately, the company is seeking the dismissal of Fairchild's suit against Power Integrations. A hearing is set for that motion on October 5.

"We expect our competitors to respect our intellectual property, and we are committed to combating any unlawful infringement that harms our business," said Balu Balakrishnan, president and CEO of Power Integrations. "These two verdicts against Fairchild reaffirm the value of independent invention and creativity in our industry."