The Litigation Group worked with Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, in a positive outcome for client Fairchild Semiconductor Corp in a jury trial involving cross allegations of patent infringement against competitor, Power Integrations, Inc. Fairchild is a leading global supplier of high-performance power semiconductor solutions, and the case involved crucial power conversion technology used in power chargers for cell phones, notebook computers, LCD monitors, and other electronic devices.
The jury verdict, issued after two weeks of trial testimony in the District of Delaware, offered a business-critical litigation victory in a longstanding and complicated patent infringement case that has spanned courts on the East and West Coast for almost ten years. After approximately three hours of deliberation time, the jury returned a positive verdict for Fairchild, awarding $2.4 million in damages for Power Integrations’ continued inducement of infringement of a Fairchild patent.
Fairchild was awarded the majority of the royalties it sought after accusing Power Integrations of inducing customers to infringe Fairchild’s computer chip power converter patent. The decision is an important part of an ongoing dispute between the parties and signifies a unique application of indirect infringement law to hold component manufacturers culpable for supplying component parts that ultimately result in infringing activities.
