Intel sues Broadcom for patent infringement

Intel has announced a patent infringement lawsuit against Broadcom, accusing

the networking company of plotting to help build and grow its business using

patented Intel technology for cable and high-speed networking.

As part of the company’s alleged sinister strategy, Broadcom has hired a

number of Intel engineers and is supposedly using their knowledge of Intel

technology to develop new products for the company.

"Broadcom has tread upon Intel's patented technology for a diverse range

of technologies including smart-networking products, motion picture decoding

used in Broadcom cable products and the packages that Broadcom uses to sell its

chips," the Intel suit claims.

"We invest billions of dollars into research and development to create

intellectual property. We have an obligation to our shareholders to protect that

investment. Broadcom has demonstrated that it has little respect for Intel's

intellectual property rights," said Intel’s corporate spokesman, Chuck

Mulloy.

Only a few years ago, Intel was similarly accused by Digital Equipment of

having infringed on 10 of its microprocessor patents in the design of its

Pentium chip.

At Broadcom, company officials denied the Intel charges. "Contrary to

public statements by Intel, Intel has made no effort that we're aware of to

alert us to the action or to seek to resolve issues they might have had with

us," said spokesman Bill Blanning. The lawsuit concentrates on five patents

which Broadcom is alleged to have violated. But the lawsuit claims that

"nearly every aspect of Broadcom's business violates Intel's patents."