Power Integrations Reports Appeals Decision in Patent Litigation with Fairchild Semiconductor
Power Integrations (Nasdaq: POWI)
today announced a decision from a federal appeals court regarding the
company’s 2004 patent-infringement lawsuit against Fairchild
Semiconductor. In 2006, Fairchild was found to infringe several Power
Integrations patents, resulting in a permanent injunction against more
than 100 infringing Fairchild products. The U.S. Court of Appeals
yesterday affirmed Fairchild’s infringement of Power Integrations’
intellectual property rights, supporting the basis for the permanent
injunction. The appeals court also identified certain aspects of the
case for reconsideration by the district court, including issues
surrounding financial damages.
The decision follows a series of rulings favoring Power Integrations in
its dispute with Fairchild. In 2012, a jury found that Fairchild
infringed two of the same patents previously found to be infringed in
the 2004 case, implicating 75 additional Fairchild products. Power
Integrations is seeking damages and an injunction against those
infringing products as well. In 2006, the International Trade Commission
(ITC) found that System General (SG), later acquired by Fairchild,
infringed two Power Integrations patents and issued an exclusion order
barring SG’s importation of the infringing products into the U.S.
market. In December 2012, in a case brought by Fairchild against Power
Integrations, a Chinese court ruled that Power Integrations did not
infringe any of the patents asserted by Fairchild.
Commented Balu Balakrishnan, president and CEO of Power Integrations:
“We are pleased that the Court has confirmed Fairchild’s infringement,
supporting the basis for the permanent injunction. We intend to continue
seeking financial compensation for the harm done to us over the past
decade by Fairchild’s blatant disregard of our intellectual property
rights, which flows from what the appeals court described as Fairchild’s
‘corporate culture of copying.’”
About Power Integrations
Power
Integrations, Inc., is a Silicon Valley-based supplier of
high-performance electronic components used in high-voltage
power-conversion systems. The company’s integrated circuits and diodes
enable compact, energy-efficient AC-DC power supplies for a vast range
of electronic products including mobile devices, TVs, PCs, appliances,
smart utility meters and LED lights. CONCEPT IGBT drivers enhance
the efficiency, reliability and cost of high-power applications such as
industrial motor drives, solar and wind energy systems, electric
vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission. Since its introduction in
1998, Power Integrations’ EcoSmart® energy-efficiency
technology has prevented billions of dollars’ worth of energy waste and
millions of tons of carbon emissions. Reflecting the environmental
benefits of the company’s products, Power Integrations’ stock is
included in the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy
Index, The Cleantech Index®, and the Ardour Global IndexSM.
For more information, including design-support tools and resources,
please visit www.powerint.com;
visit Power Integrations’ Green
Room for a comprehensive guide to energy-efficiency standards around
the world.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements
reflecting management's current expectations and beliefs. Such
statements are based on current information that is, by its nature,
subject to rapid and even abrupt changes. Due to risks and uncertainties
associated with the company's business and the litigation process,
actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied.
General risk factors associated with the company’s business are more
fully explained under the caption “Risk Factors” in the company's most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on February 22, 2013. The company is under no
obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter
its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules
and regulations of the SEC.
Power Integrations, EcoSmart, and the Power Integrations logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc.
