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Commitments and Contingencies
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3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2013
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| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies |
Commitments and Contingencies
Silicon Labs Litigation
On May 13, 2012, the Company filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Silicon Laboratories Inc., or Silicon Labs, as defendant seeking an order that the Company’s CMOS hybrid tuner products, such as the MxL301 and MxL601, do not infringe nineteen (19) patents owned by Silicon Labs. The declaratory judgment complaint further seeks a ruling that the defendant’s patents are invalid. Silicon Labs has filed counterclaims for infringement on five (5) of the nineteen (19) patents and one (1) additional Silicon Labs patent. On September 13, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a motion for preliminary injunction requesting an injunction on the Company’s MxL601 product based upon alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,200,364. On November 2, 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction. On November 7, 2012, the court issued an order denying Silicon Labs’ motion. In the order, the court found that “Silicon Labs has failed to sustain its burden of proving a likelihood of success on the merits or that it will suffer immediate irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction.” The court further ruled that “Silicon Labs had not met its burden of showing that it is more likely than not that the ‘364 Patent will be found valid at trial.” On December 12, 2012, the Court granted Silicon Labs leave to file an amended answer to assert counterclaims for infringement on three (3) additional Silicon Labs patents. The Court held a claim construction hearing on April 19, 2013. No order has been issued. Trial is scheduled to commence on February 11, 2014.
On July 17, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a complaint for patent infringement against the Company in United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The Silicon Labs complaint asserts that a wide range of the Company’s products infringe a single Silicon Labs patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,035,607, or the ‘607 patent. The ‘607 patent is related to several of the nineteen (19) patents on which the Company filed a declaratory judgment action against Silicon Labs. The Silicon Labs
complaint seeks damages and injunctive relief against the Company’s products. The Company has filed counterclaims for infringement on three (3) patents owned by the Company – United States Patent Nos. 7,362,178; 8,198,940; and 7,778,613. Silicon Labs has filed a motion to dismiss or transfer the Company’s counterclaims for infringement to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Court denied that motion. The July 17, 2012 litigation and May 13, 2012 litigation were related by Court order on July 23, 2012. The Court had a claim construction hearing on April 19, 2013. No order has been issued. Trial is scheduled to commence on February 11, 2014.
On July 30, 2012, Silicon Labs filed a declaratory judgment complaint in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas against the Company seeking an order that Silicon Labs’ products do not infringe the three (3) patents owned by the Company asserted as counterclaims in the second Southern District of California action. The declaratory judgment complaint further sought a ruling that the patents are invalid. The Company filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, and the Court granted limited jurisdictional discovery related to the issue. On January 17, 2013, the Court granted the Company’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction and ordered dismissal of the Texas action.
The Company has not recorded any accrual for loss contingencies associated with Silicon Labs litigation; determined that an unfavorable outcome is probable or reasonably possible; or determined that the amount or range of any possible loss is reasonably estimable.
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