Acorn Technologies today announced that a jury has found that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. infringed all asserted claims of four semiconductor-related patents at a recent trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Acorn Semi LLC (together with Acorn Technologies, “Acorn”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Acorn Technologies Inc., filed the lawsuit in October 2019 and was represented by Hueston Hennigan LLP.
“We are pleased that the jury recognized the ingenuity of our inventors, Dr. Dan Grupp and Dr. Dan Connelly, and the significant use Samsung was making of our patented technology,” said Acorn CEO Tom Horgan. “This verdict validates the hard work and dedication of the Acorn team and the importance of Acorn’s patented technology. We are also grateful for the wonderful work performed by Hueston Hennigan and others in supporting us.”
The patents asserted at trial were U.S. Patent Nos. 8,766,336; 9,461,167; 9,905,691; and 10,090,395, which cover an invention that reduces contact resistance between metals and semiconductors and increases device efficiency. The patented technology has become ever more important as transistors have progressively reduced in size according to Moore’s Law. The jury found that Samsung has been using Acorn’s patented technology in some of its most popular devices since January 2015.
Acorn Technologies Inc. chairman Mr. Peter Norton—of Norton PC security fame—added: “Inventors and innovators both, Dr. Grupp and Dr. Connelly not only provided a counter-intuitive solution to a problem, but they did so at a time when few people realized that problem was going to be the serious performance inhibitor it became by 2015. Their fundamental change in how to tackle the inherent performance limitations compared to the conventional industrial approach is a paradigm shift that keeps on giving.”
The case is Acorn Semi LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. et al., case number 2:19-cv-00347, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
