Technical Board of Appeal revokes "RAMBUS" patent EP 0 525 068 on a “Semiconductor Memory Device”

Munich 12 February 2004 -- In the appeal case against the European patent EP 0 525 068 ("Rambus/Semiconductor Memory Device") the competent Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) has, at the end of public oral proceedings, announced its decision to revoke the patent in suit. The reasons for this final decision will be given in writing.

European patent EP 0525 068 had been granted by the EPO to Rambus Inc., Mountain View, California /US., for four of the now 27 member states of the European Patent Organisation, namely Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, on the basis of a European patent application filed in 1991. Oppositions against the patent were filed in 2000 by Micron Europe Ltd., Crowthorne (UK) together with Micron Technology Italia S.R.L. (IT), and the German-based companies Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Hynix Semiconductor Deutschland GmbH, Raunheim, and Micron Semiconductor Deutschland GmbH, Aschheim. The corresponding opposition procedure terminated in November 2002 and led to the maintenance of the patent in amended form. Appeals against the decision in opposition were lodged between December 2002 and February 2003. The case was heard by a Technical Board of Appeal of the EPO, a second instance judicial body of the Office.

For more information please contact:

Rainer Osterwalder
Press Officer
European Patent Office
D-80298 Munich

Phone: +4989/2399-5012
Fax: +4989/2399-2850
e-mail: rosterwalder@epo.org