Text of ‘327 Patent
The suit alleges that ATI’s Radeon graphics charge infringe its patent 6,650,327 describing a display system with floating point rasterisation and buffering. The patent was filed in 1998 and granted in 2003. SGI is just emerging from reorganization after bankruptcy while ATI is in the midst of being taken over by AMD.
The Complaint seeks unspecified damages and a Court Ordered injunction against future infringement by ATI. According to SGI’s press release:
“The Company’s technology covered by the ‘327 patent is an important resource in achieving enhanced graphics processing demanded by today’s computer systems,” said Dennis McKenna, CEO of SGI. “SGI has licensed this technology to ATI’s major competitors and, as I have previously been stating publicly, SGI intends to aggressively protect and enforce its IP. This is the first visible step in that process.”
Sources: Gamasutra | Inquirer | Silicon Valley Business Journal | The Register | CNet| ars technica | GameSpot | Daily Tech | Engadget | SGI Press Release