Thursday, September 4th 2014
NVIDIA Files Complaints Against Samsung and Qualcomm for Patent Infringement
NVIDIA today announced that it has filed complaints against Samsung and Qualcomm at the International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, alleging that the companies are both infringing NVIDIA GPU patents covering technology including programmable shading, unified shaders and multithreaded parallel processing.
The identified Samsung products include the Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 mobile phones; and the Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab 2 computer tablets. Most of these devices incorporate Qualcomm mobile processors -- including the Snapdragon S4, 400, 600, 800, 801 and 805. Others are powered by Samsung Exynos mobile chips, which incorporate ARM's Mali and Imagination Technologies' PowerVR GPU cores.
NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said: "As the world leader in visual computing, NVIDIA has invented technologies that are vital to mobile computing. We have the richest portfolio of computer graphics IP in the world, with 7,000 patents granted and pending, produced by the industry's best graphics engineers and backed by more than $9 billion in R&D.
"Our patented GPU inventions provide significant value to mobile devices. Samsung and Qualcomm have chosen to use these in their products without a license from us. We are asking the courts to determine infringement of NVIDIA's GPU patents by all graphics architectures used in Samsung's mobile products and to establish their licensing value."
A pioneer in computer graphics, NVIDIA invented the GPU. The graphics processing unit enables computers to generate and display images. It brings to life the beautiful graphics that shape how people enjoy their mobile devices and is fundamental to the rise of mobile computing. NVIDIA GPUs are some of the most complex processors ever created, requiring over a thousand engineering-years to create and containing more than 7 billion transistors.
The identified Samsung products include the Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 mobile phones; and the Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab 2 computer tablets. Most of these devices incorporate Qualcomm mobile processors -- including the Snapdragon S4, 400, 600, 800, 801 and 805. Others are powered by Samsung Exynos mobile chips, which incorporate ARM's Mali and Imagination Technologies' PowerVR GPU cores.
NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said: "As the world leader in visual computing, NVIDIA has invented technologies that are vital to mobile computing. We have the richest portfolio of computer graphics IP in the world, with 7,000 patents granted and pending, produced by the industry's best graphics engineers and backed by more than $9 billion in R&D.
"Our patented GPU inventions provide significant value to mobile devices. Samsung and Qualcomm have chosen to use these in their products without a license from us. We are asking the courts to determine infringement of NVIDIA's GPU patents by all graphics architectures used in Samsung's mobile products and to establish their licensing value."
A pioneer in computer graphics, NVIDIA invented the GPU. The graphics processing unit enables computers to generate and display images. It brings to life the beautiful graphics that shape how people enjoy their mobile devices and is fundamental to the rise of mobile computing. NVIDIA GPUs are some of the most complex processors ever created, requiring over a thousand engineering-years to create and containing more than 7 billion transistors.
108 Comments on NVIDIA Files Complaints Against Samsung and Qualcomm for Patent Infringement
"nVidia is suing Samsung and people are hating on them"
"What? Quick, say something bad about AMD."
Any loss of revenue from Samsung's point of view would be through court order, not direct action from the complainant - I'm guessing that unless there is overwhelming evidence, the court wouldn't embargo Samsung's product line.Seems likely even if it's a power play to bring Samsung and QC to the table. You don't slap a gorilla if you expect it to pound you into the ground. This is one step up from the Intel lawsuit (which Intel initiated) which ended up with Nvidia picking up a sizeable wad of cash and torpedoing Larrabee's development - oddly enough, people then didn't think Nvidia had much of a chance either.
How about nVidia?You need a miracle to get their library even the old-screwed Tegra 3.They never support open community,so why even bother to jump to Google's Android?nVidia should join Apple then...
Conglomerates don't usually conduct business like 5 year-olds having schoolyard tantrums. Samsung and Apple have been at each others throats for quite a while yet it doesn't stop them from signing and extending component contracts.
By all account's, what's happening in the Electronics division doesn't matter a flying f**k to other arms of the company - divisional rivalry puts outside competition to shame. This is the simplified company structure
i just giggle reading what nv is trying to do here
nv should sue qualcomm and arm for their gpu instead of pursuing the biggest phone manufacturer, unless nv want to cut a deal and make samsung by their tegra
search.rpxcorp.com/lit/candce-275108#simple4
search.rpxcorp.com/lit/candce-200541-advanced-micro-devices-v-samsung-electronics
AMD suing LG with following patents
6,784,879 - Method and apparatus for providing control of background video
6,889,332 - Variable maximum die temperature based on performance state
6,895,520 - Performance and power optimization via block oriented performance measurement and control
6,897,871 - Graphics processing architecture employing a unified shader
7,327,369 - Graphics processing architecture employing a unified shader
7,742,053 - Multi-thread graphics processing system
5,898,849 - Microprocessor employing local caches for functional units to store memory operands used by the functional units
6,266,715 - Universal serial bus controller with a direct memory access mode
7,095,945 - System for digital time shifting and method thereof
Both AMD and NVIDIA has products that uses it's patents and ARM centric GPU vendors should not escape from licensing. ARM expects companies licenses it's IP while it doesn't do the reverse for it's GPU.
I wonder how many patents AMD and Nvidia share, I know both are in bed with Intel, for many and different reasons.
But that was hard to type be cause I like nvidia and I like Qualcomm atheros !!!!!! God damb it!!!!!!!!!!
Anyhow, Nvidia are only one of a number of Qualcomm's legal problems this year:
Chinese antitrust investigation
European Union antitrust investigation
ParkerVision(who won their previous case against QC)
Bandspeed
Adaptix
The problem with NVIDIA's battle against Qualcomm is that AMD also has multi-threaded unified shader GPU patents and AMD using these patents to sue LG.
I don't know the licensing extent with Qualcomm's AMD IP.
In Apple vs VIA/S3 battle, AMD got involved with S3 texture compression IP issue i.e. AMD counters VIA/S3 (on behalf of Apple) that AMD owns S3 texture compression IP/patents i.e. AMD fought another PC GPU vendor (i.e. VIA S3) in the patent/IP area.
Both AMD and NVIDIA has large GPU patent landmines.
From search.rpxcorp.com/lit/candce-275108#simple2
One of LG's products being targeted by AMD is LG's G2 which has Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC.
venturebeat.com/2015/04/06/nvidia-wins-a-round-in-patent-case-against-samsung-and-qualcomm/
From the horses mouth:
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2015/04/06/itc-favorable-ruling/
NOTICE OF INITIAL DETERMINATION ON VIOLATION OF SECTION 337
Administrative Law Judge Thomas B. Pender
C-NET Nvidia dealt blow in bid to block Samsung shipments into US
Law360 - Samsung, Qualcomm Triumph At ITC In Nvidia Patent Fight