Law360: ON Semiconductor sues CMOSIS and others for allegedly infringing four of its patents covering image sensor technology, including two patents by one of CMOSIS's co-founders, Guy Meynants, according to the court documents. The U.S. patents are 5933190, 6011251, 7408195 and 7608516.
Update: ON Semi also sued San Diego-based AlliedSens LLC, CMOSIS distributor in the US, and German Leica Camera AG, which uses CMOSIS sensors into one of its cameras. ON Semiconductor sent CMOSIS a cease-and-desist letter in late September 2013, but the CMOSIS denied that its products infringe the asserted patents, the complaint says.
Good timing...
ReplyDeleteThe first two patents are invented by Bart Dierickx and the last two are invented by Guy Meynants
ReplyDeleteThis post suggest to engineers: if you ever plan to open your own company, never develop or patent new ideas while working for somebody else. One day you might get sued for copying your own idea ;).
ReplyDeletebut if someone else does this in YOUR company, you will not be happy :)=
DeleteIn any case, giving your company a million dollar idea for a $1-2K in patent bonus is always something that should be carefully considered. :)
DeleteCan someone please provide color regarding how these original 2 imec patents, 190 and 251 were transfered to OnSemi....hence the suit? This is a very strange suit since both CMOSIS and OnSemi are part of imec's development partnership programs, according to imec.
ReplyDeleteIMEC to FillFactory to Cypress Semi to ON Semi.
DeleteON Semi sueing Leica Camera AG is frankly stupid and short sighted and shows how crazy American companies have become.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a stupid strategy at all. It puts pressure on CMOSIS to settle. It is like when a mobster threatens not only you, but also your family. Not that ON is a mobster, I am just trying to explain the point.
DeleteFor those still interested in this case (ED Texas - O/Ref: CMO1049): the case file can be consulted online. From the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) one learns that a request for “dismissal” has been filed and decided. Reference is made to a settlement, but no details thereof are available.
ReplyDelete