Court thwarts Intel bid to halt AMD chip
A court in Delaware has denied Intel?s request to ban arch-rival AMD from using MMX terminology in its K6 multiprocessor
Chip giant Intel has failed to prevent rival AMD from introducing its K6 chip after a US court threw out a proposal restraining companies from using the MMX terminology.
Intel was forced to take legal action to obtain a restraining order to prevent AMD from using the MMX term as the manufacturer ramped up its operations for K6 multimedia microprocessors. Intel argued that it had invested heavily in promoting the MMX label for its Pentium chips.
Last week, a US court in Delaware denied Intel?s request, but Cyrix has capitulated to its demands and agreed not to use the MMX term. Cyrix? decision throws doubt on whether IBM Microelectronics, which will also release the Cyrix M2 processor under its own name, will follow its partner?s lead.
A representative at IBM Microelectronics said: ?We?re reviewing the situation. When Cyrix releases the M2, IBM will announce the name ? the numbering and name will be the same to avoid confusion.?
He added that although IBM had the funds to fight Intel, it had not yet made a decision on how the company would proceed.
Following the Delaware court?s decision, AMD introduced three models of its K6 microprocessor and a 233MHz x.86 compatible chip which uses conventional sockets.
It is expected that Intel will appeal to a higher court to determine who actually owns the rights to the MMX terminology. A court date has not yet been set.
- Two weeks ago, AMD Europe claimed that a judge had overthrown a similar injunction placed by Intel to stop it from shipping its K6 chips throughout Europe.
- At the time, the chip giant insisted that the restraining order was already in place across Europe, although AMD European marketing manager Richard Baker denied this.