In May 2025, Intel Corporation convinced a Texas jury that VLSI Technology operates under the control of Fortress Investment Group, following a three-day trial. The ruling opens the door for Intel to potentially escape more than $3 billion in patent infringement verdicts.
Intel based its defense on a 2012 patent license agreement with Finjan and its affiliates. After Fortress acquired Finjan in 2020, Intel argued that both Finjan and VLSI came under Fortress’s common control, making VLSI an “affiliate” covered by the license.
Patent infringement litigation timeline
In April 2019, VLSI sued Intel over the U.S. Patent No. 7,523,373 and 7,725,759, alleging infringement of multiple claims. A 2021 trial in the Western District of Texas resulted in a $1.5 billion verdict for the ’373 patent and $675 million for the ’759 patent. Intel argued it held a license through a 2012 agreement with Finjan and its affiliates, but the district court rejected this defense in 2022, entering final judgment of $2.18 billion plus $162 million in interest.
On appeal, the Federal Circuit agreed that Intel infringed the ’373 patent but canceled the damages award and sent the case back for reconsideration. For the ’759 patent, the court found insufficient evidence and reversed the verdict. Meanwhile, in a related 2018 case, VLSI won $949 million in damages on U.S. Patent No. 7,247,552 in November 2022.
In 2024, Intel renewed its license defense, arguing that Fortress’s acquisition of Finjan placed both Finjan and VLSI under the same control. A Texas jury sided with Intel in May 2025, enabling the company to reclaim the $949 million awarded in the ’552 case. This decision could also help Intel avoid more than $3 billion in damages linked to the ’373 and ’759 patents.
Patents in infringement disputes
The patent infringement disputes focus on three patents assigned to VLSI Technology, covering various innovations and methods involving integrated circuits.
Minimum operating voltage in integrated circuits
U.S. Patent No. 7,523,373 describes an integrated circuit with memory that requires a minimum operating voltage. It includes a non-volatile memory (NVM) to store the value of this minimum voltage, and two regulators supplying different voltage levels. A power supply selector supplies the lower voltage to the memory if it meets the minimum. If not, it switches to the higher voltage, while other circuit functions continue using the lower voltage.
In the litigation, VLSI accused Intel of infringing the following claims of their patent:
- Claim 1 – Supplying minimum voltage to memory
- Claim 5 – Method of Claim 1, comprising a signal when the first voltage is below the minimum
- Claim 6 – Method of Claim 1, comprising a controller selecting a memory operating voltage
- Claim 9 – Integrated circuit components
- Claim 11 – Memory of Claim 9, wherein the minimum voltage includes retention, read, write, and standby levels
The alleged infringement involves Intel’s Haswell microprocessors, covering 256 products released between 2013 and 2015, and Broadwell microprocessors, including 130 products launched between 2015 and 2018. VLSI asserts that these products, now marketed under the Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core, and Xeon brands, incorporate the static memory and dual voltage regulator features described in the patent.
The patent, titled “Minimum memory operating voltage technique”, was filed on August 30, 2006 by Freescale Semiconductor and was granted on April 21, 2009. The patent lists Andrew C. Russell, David R. Bearden, Bradford L. Hunter, and Shayan Zhang as inventors, with representation by Eric Scheuerlein and Isa Kohls from Daylight Law.
Clock frequency management in electronic devices
U.S. Patent No. 7,725,759 describes a system with a bus that operates at variable clock frequencies, managed by an arbiter controlling data flow. A clock controller regulates the bus frequency and that of a second master device, based on requests from a first master device. These requests are triggered by performance changes in the first master device, measured over a set time interval, such as increased loading. The clock controller then adjusts the bus frequency accordingly to match performance demands.
The infringement case accused Intel of infringing the following claims:
- Claim 14 – System with a variable-frequency bus, a master device requesting clock changes based on load, and a controller adjusting bus and device clocks
- Claim 17 – System of Claim 14, where the controller adjusts the bus clock
- Claim 18 – System with a variable-frequency bus, a master device, an arbiter, and a controller adjusting clocks based on load requests
- Claim 24 – System of Claim 18, where performance changes are defined as load variations
The case concerns Intel’s “Lake” products starting with their sixth-generation processors, including Skylake in 2015, Kaby Lake in 2017, Coffee Lake in 2017, and Comet Lake in 2019. VLSI describes these microprocessors as having a power control unit running software that regulates core and bus frequencies in response to signals generated as the core monitors its workload.
The patent, titled “System and method of managing clock speed in an electronic device”, was filed on June 29, 2005 by SigmaTel and was granted on May 25, 2010. The patent lists Matthew Henson as inventor, with representation by Eric Scheuerlein and Isa Kohls from Daylight Law.
Integrated circuit with flip-chip interconnect pad
U.S. Patent No. 7,247,552 describes an integrated circuit with a substrate, bond pad, and interconnect stack separated by dielectrics. Beneath the bond pad, functional metal lines connect active circuitry but are not tied to the pad, while dummy metal lines are added in stress-prone regions to maintain metal density and reduce defects. It also covers a method to fabricate the said integrated circuit.
VLSI claims that Intel infringed the patented methods in its Skylake and Cascade Lake processors, launched in 2015 and 2019, respectively. Intel maintains that it uses proprietary technology and contends that the older patent does not cover its modern designs.
The patent, titled “Integrated circuit having structural support for a flip-chip interconnect pad and method therefor”, was filed on January 11, 2005 by Freescale Semiconductor and was granted on July 24, 2007. The patent lists Scott K. Pozder, Kevin J. Hess, Pak K. Leung, Edward O. Travis, Brett P. Wilkerson, David G. Wontor, and Jie-Hua Zhao as inventors, with representation by Eric Scheuerlein and Isa Kohls from Daylight Law.
The plaintiff and defendant
VLSI Technology: Patent Portfolio
VLSI Technology, a company that manages semiconductor patents, holds assets originally filed by SigmaTel (’759 patent) and Freescale Semiconductor (’373 and ’552 patents). These patents changed hands through a series of acquisitions before arriving at VLSI, reflecting the complex history of intellectual property in the semiconductor industry.
Freescale acquired SigmaTel in 2008 for around $110 million and merged with NXP Semiconductors in 2015. NXP, formerly a Philips subsidiary, had acquired VLSI in 1999, and by 2019, the patents were officially transferred to VLSI. Now under the ownership of Fortress Investment Group, VLSI was described by Intel as a Finjan “affiliate” under an earlier license agreement, a key point in Intel’s defense in its ongoing patent infringement cases.
VLSI’s patent portfolio (from the patents they acquired) shows that the latest priority year is 2014.
VLSI Technology: Top Legal Representatives
The patents that ended up becoming part of VLSI’s portfolio were primarily prosecuted by Daylight Law,, followed by Freescale Semiconductor’s in-house legal department, where David G. Dolezal served as a member of the senior patent counsel team, and Larson Newman & Abel. Other representatives included Daniel D. Hill, Charles E. Bergere, and Joanna G. Chiu, with additional contributions from Haseltine Lake Kempner LLP, Hamilton & Terrile, and NXP semiconductors’ in-house IP team.
In its landmark case against Intel, VLSI was represented by Jeffrey A. Lamken, Rayiner Hashem, and Michael Gregory Pattilo, Jr. of MoloLamken LLP. The litigation team also included Morgan Chu, Benjamin W. Hattenbach, Alan J. Heinrich, Amy E. Proctor, Dominik Slusarczyk, Charlotte J. Wen, and Babak Redjaian of Irell & Manella LLP.
VLSI Technology: Top Technology Areas
VLSI patents are concentrated in core areas such as semiconductor devices (H01L), static stores (G11C), and electric digital data processing (G06F), highlighting a strong focus on fundamental chip technologies. Inorganic semiconductor devices (H10D) and pulse techniques (H03K) also hold notable shares, while smaller segments like climate mitigation in ICT (Y02D), measurement technologies (G01R), and niche fields such as nanostructures (B82Y) highlight diversification into green tech, precision systems, and emerging applications.
Intel
Intel is known for their processors that power personal computers, servers, and data centers. This is reflected by their active patenting activity and the technology areas they cover.
Intel: Patenting Activity
Intel has sustained strong patenting activity over the past decade, filing thousands of patents annually. As a leading innovator in the semiconductor industry, the company holds a broad intellectual property portfolio spanning microarchitecture, process technologies, artificial intelligence, and energy-efficient computing.
Intel: Top Law Firms
Intel’s patent portfolio was largely managed by Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, which handled 2,345 filings, followed by Shanghai Patent & Trademark Law Office and Boehmert & Boehmert. Smaller contributions came from NTD Patent & Trademark Agency, 2SPL Patent Attorneys, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, East Intellectual Property, China Patent Agent, Viering Jentschura & Partner, and Maucher Jenkins.
In its litigation against VLSI, Intel was represented by William F. Lee from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, together with Alison Burton, Lauren B. Fletcher, Joseph J. Mueller, Steven Jared Horn, Amanda L. Major, and Mary Virginia Sooter.
Intel: Top Technology Areas
Intel patents are concentrated in electric digital data processing (G06F), highlighting a strong focus on computing innovations. General semiconductor devices (H01L) and transmission of digital information (H04L) also make up significant portions, while additional filings in communication networks, computing arrangements, and static storage highlight Intel’s diversification across core chip technologies and broader system-level applications.
