Under terms of the settlement both companies will dismiss all pending legal claims in all jurisdictions – a total of 11 pending cases in five countries involving 27 patents.
Intel first sued VIA in 1999 over the terms of a licensing agreement. The case settled, but Intel then sued again, in September 2001, claiming that VIA's microprocessor and chipset infringed Intel patents. VIA counter sued, claiming that Intel microprocessors infringed three patents owned by VIA. Soon, the number of lawsuits and counter-suits swelled.
The companies yesterday announced that they have entered into a ten-year patent cross license agreement covering each company's products. VIA has agreed to pay Intel royalties on terms which will remain confidential. A joint statement says that any other financial terms of the settlement will also remain confidential.