ASUS ready to unleash patent wardogs against its rivals

[DuckDodgers]

The new X99 platform is about to spark a minor, but hot legal clash.

 

Are patent lawyers giving out discounts this month? Two weeks ago, Nvidia filed a patent suit against Samsung and Qualcomm. Today, DigiTimes reports that Asus may be about to do the same with its rivals in the motherboard market.

The bone of contention is reportedly OC Socket, a new feature on Asus' X99 motherboards. OC Socket adds extra pins to the LGA2011-v3 socket, which supposedly stabilizes voltages and raises overclocking headroom.

According to DigiTimes, Asus learned that the feature is making its way to some of its rivals' X99 mobos. "Based on its initial investigation," the site adds,  Are patent lawyers giving out discounts this month? Two weeks ago, Nvidia filed a patent suit against Samsung and Qualcomm. Today, DigiTimes reports that Asus may be about to do the same with its rivals in the motherboard market.

Of course, like much of what DigiTimes reports, this is still entirely unofficial. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled for any official developments.

Report: Asus may sue mobo makers over patent infringement

[Enderman]

Good for ASUS. They did it first, they own this technology.

[aduman]

Every company should do the same in a situation like this, it's only logical.

[ivhyn]

Let the patent-fights begin... again.

Asus should invest their money into their customer support instead of lawyers, just sayin'.

[The_Strict_Nein]

It's not like they're gonna loose. ASUS patented that pin layout. If anybody copies it, they're in the wrong.

 

Open and shut case, really.

[SovietOnion]

Lmao that'd be like AMD suing Intel for making a dual core after them in 2005. 

 

so fucking ridiculous 

[RelentlessAF]

I don't know how it is in other countries but in the U.S. Filing a lawsuit is really inexpensive. I mean the lawyers and court cost aren't but the actual lawsuit is like $50.

[rmac52]

I have absolutely no problem with legitimate patent law suits.

If asus tried to sue another company for using to much black on there boards then  it would be a completely different story.

[The_Strict_Nein]

Lmao that'd be like AMD suing Intel for making a dual core after them in 2005. 

 

so fucking ridiculous 

 

No, it'd be like AMD suing Intel for using a socket AMD designed.

 

ASUS didn't design the stock 2011-3 pin layout. They did however design the OC Socket, which is an improvement on the base design and is proprietary to ASUS. If anyone is copying that exact pin layout, they are breaking the law. They're completely free to use Intel's stock socket and ASUS have no obligation to release this socket as Intel doesn't recognize it as their own official standard.

[Toddwjp]

It's not like they're gonna loose. ASUS patented that pin layout. If anybody copies it, they're in the wrong.

 

Open and shut case, really.

 

it depends, the other company's may have extra pins but in tech cases if its not a 100% copy its very hard to say they have done something wrong, if 2 groups of people have the same goal and similar resources they may find the same solution.

[brownninja97]

Well lets see what happens, i have the feeling its gigabyte, msi and asrock. if they are up againest gigabyte they have lost already, gigabyte have more money and they will likely use it, not sure about the other two.

[The_Strict_Nein]

it depends, the other company's may have extra pins but in tech cases if its not a 100% copy its very hard to say they have done something wrong, if 2 groups of people have the same goal and similar resources they may find the same solution.

 

But ASUS copyrighted it. If the other companies wanted to provide a counter claim to creating the technology with records proving they invented it first, they're free to do so. But ASUS have the patent and only they have the right to produce that technology.

[The_Strict_Nein]

Well lets see what happens, i have the feeling its gigabyte, msi and asrock. if they are up againest gigabyte they have lost already, gigabyte have more money and they will likely use it, not sure about the other two.

 

Gigabyte would win if it was an Apple vs Samsung case of arguing over look and feel.

 

But it's hard to argue against someone coming into court with an ASUS X99 board and a Gigabyte board, and showing they have the exact same pin layout.

[SovietOnion]

No, it'd be like AMD suing Intel for using a socket AMD designed.

 

ASUS didn't design the stock 2011-3 pin layout. They did however design the OC Socket, which is an improvement on the base design and is proprietary to ASUS. If anyone is copying that exact pin layout, they are breaking the law. They're completely free to use Intel's stock socket and ASUS have no obligation to release this socket as Intel doesn't recognize it as their own official standard.

 

But they did with the K6-2 and Pentium 1... ASUS is just being a twat, if this socket is so great it should be deployed across multiple platforms and eventually become the norm, not be fucking puppy guarded. 

[Nuluvius]

Go ASUS! Destroy, decimate and dominate them!

[evinta]

Go for it Asus. go for it is all i say.

 

They developed the tech, they have the right to do what they want with it lol

[The_Strict_Nein]

But they did with the K6-2 and Pentium 1... ASUS is just being a twat, if this socket is so great it should be deployed across multiple platforms and eventually become the norm, not be fucking puppy guarded. 

 

They've no obligation to. It's up to Intel to approve the socket as the reference design, which they couldn't do without paying ASUS lots of money.

 

Nvidia Gamestream is massively superior to any AMD effort and most other streaming efforts. Does that mean they have to release every detail of it to it's competitors? No, only if it was made an International standard.

 

It's called capitalism. ASUS's product has this feature as a unique selling point, Gigabyte have their unique features, MSI, ASRock, they all have their Unique selling points.

 

Seeing as this socket design was presented to Intel and they didn't immediately go "Holy shit, this'll allow us to run the 5960X at 4 GHz at stock volts, can we make this the standard" immediately, it's not hugely game changing, but does present a bonus for buying an ASUS board.

[brownninja97]

Gigabyte would win if it was an Apple vs Samsung case of arguing over look and feel.

 

But it's hard to argue against someone coming into court with an ASUS X99 board and a Gigabyte board, and showing they have the exact same pin layout.

On the other hand no boards have been released, they havent named any boards, they havent named a company they are going to fight, they dont have pictures or hard evidence that ive seen. Asus could still loose this, also if its in China or Taiwen, maybe Korea then Asus have lost already

[mr moose]

But ASUS copyrighted it. If the other companies wanted to provide a counter claim to creating the technology with records proving they invented it first, they're free to do so. But ASUS have the patent and only they have the right to produce that technology.

 

Unless of course the judge (or jury) decides that using all the pins on a cpu for their intended purpose does not constitute an copyright infringement.  

[The_Strict_Nein]

Unless of course the judge (or jury) decides that using all the pins on a cpu for their intended purpose does not constitute an copyright infringement.  

 

But Intel already made the standard for the socket to be the default layout. As far as specifications go, those pins have no intended purpose that would be known to anyone outside Intel. ASUS developed this socket through their own trial and error. It's their technology.

[Priller]

Gigabyte would win if it was an Apple vs Samsung case of arguing over look and feel.

 

But it's hard to argue against someone coming into court with an ASUS X99 board and a Gigabyte board, and showing they have the exact same pin layout.

 

But all of the Z97 boards share the same pin layout as well.

 

Asus will probably win unless Intel has the pin layout(design) in its files for future use or implementation. Since Intel designed the initial pin layout then they should be the only ones to contend with if the design or layout is patentable by Asus.

[The_Strict_Nein]

But all of the Z97 boards share the same pin layout as well.

 

Asus will probably win unless Intel has the pin layout(design) in its files for future use or implementation. Since Intel designed the initial pin layout then they should be the only ones to contend with if the design or layout is patentable by Asus.

 

 

There are physically more pins on the ASUS design. The socket itself is physically different.

[mr moose]

But Intel already made the standard for the socket to be the default layout. As far as specifications go, those pins have no intended purpose that would be known to anyone outside Intel. ASUS developed this socket through their own trial and error. It's their technology.

 

Please explain how no one would know what all the pins do outside of intel, they have a data sheet for cpus that tell Motherboard makers exactly what each pin does,  making a board that accepts the cpu and uses all the pins according to this sheet is not exactly patentable.

 

Here it is, in fact anyone can look up what all the pins do and use them:

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.intel.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fwww%2Fpublic%2Fus%2Fen%2Fdocuments%2Fdatasheets%2Fx99-chipset-pch-datasheet.pdf&ei=TwMaVPC4L8mA8QWKh4GYAQ&usg=AFQjCNGEqmfE8mNnrCDJpisMq9EP6rcBCA&sig2=mDhywdVaNSgij1VAJp4NWQ&bvm=bv.75097201,d.dGc

[The_Strict_Nein]

Please explain how no one would know what all the pins do outside of intel, they have a data sheet for cpus that tell Motherboard makers exactly what each pin does,  making a board that accepts the cpu and uses all the pins according to this sheet is not exactly patentable.

 

 

From ASUS themselves, paraphrased:

 

"We noticed several extra slots for pins in the socket design. When we asked Intel what those pins are for, they simply told us that the design given to us is the reference design and the one that should be used."

 

Intel didn't provide data on any of those pins that aren't used on the reference design. ASUS had to manually figure out what each pin did with reverse engineering.

 

TTL elaborates on it more in his Rampage V board review.

[mr moose]

From ASUS themselves, paraphrased:

 

"We noticed several extra slots for pins in the socket design. When we asked Intel what those pins are for, they simply told us that the design given to us is the reference design and the one that should be used."

 

Intel didn't provide data on any of those pins that aren't used on the reference design. ASUS had to manually figure out what each pin did with reverse engineering.

 

TTL elaborates on it more in his Rampage V board review.

 

That does not mean Asus can patent what those pins do and how to use them.