Broadcom loses patent suit appeal

A Texas judge denied chipmaker Broadcom's appeal in its U.S. International Trade Commission patent suit against rival Microtune. Based on case evidence, Judge Sidney Harris said the ITC would reject Broadcom's petition to review the court's April 2004 decision, which found that Microtune had not violated a Broadcom patent regarding chip tuners and amplifiers.

In the lawsuit, the company alleged that Microtune violated one of its patents by importing tuners and amplifiers that infringed on U.S. Patent No. 6,445,039 and U.S. Patent No. 5,682,379--Broadcom patents that apply to integrated receivers and transceiver apparatuses, respectively. Harris originally ruled that the Broadcom patent was invalid on numerous grounds, due to inequitable conduct, making the issue of infringement irrelevant. The two companies still have at least one other court battle ongoing: a California lawsuit filed by Broadcom that alleges that Microtune's power amplifiers, tuners and Bluetooth products violate other patents.