Intel Faces Ban On Selling Select CPUs In Germany, Includes 12th Gen Alder Lake

It seems like Intel might find trouble doing business in Germany, as a regional court has issued a "restraining order" preventing Team Blue from selling some of its CPUs.

This all starts with a patent dispute between Intel and the California-based R2 Semiconductor, which has reportedly alleged Intel of "infringing" a patent filed by the firm. Based on what the Financial Times has reported, R2 Semiconductor has raised its hands on an R2 patent for voltage-regulating technology in chips. Fortunately for them, the company has won the argument against Intel, which has led to a halt in sales of Intel's several consumer processors, which come under Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, and Alder Lake lineups, along with server-oriented Ice Lake Xeon processors as well.

However, the ruling doesn't affect any of the current-generation processors, such as the Meteor Lake and Raptor Lake series, but it is still trouble for Team Blue, since the existence of Alder Lake chips in the markets is still considerable, and the halt in sales means that the company could potentially be forced to take measures such as "product recall". Intel, however, has denied the allegations, claiming that R2 Semiconductors themselves are involved in unethical strategies, pursuing "serial lawsuits" against big tech companies.

R2 files serial lawsuits to extract large sums from innovators like Intel. R2 first filed suit against Intel in the U.S., but after Intel invalidated R2's low-quality U.S. patent R2 shifted its campaign against Intel to Europe. Intel believes companies like R2, which appears to be a shell company whose only business is litigation, should not be allowed to obtain injunctions on CPUs and other critical components at the expense of consumers, workers, national security, and the economy.

However, on the other hand, R2 Semiconductors have appreciated the court's ruling, and have advanced towards completely banning the sales of the above-mentioned lineups, along with ordering product recalls as well. The firm has presented the argument, claiming that Intel was interested in its "Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) technology", but later decided not to pursue it ahead. R2's Chief Executive David Fisher claims that the company has only sued Intel up till now, which negates the claim put up by Team Blue regarding R2 Semiconductors being involved in unethical practices.

We are delighted that the highly respected German court has issued an injunction and unequivocally found that Intel has infringed R2's patents for integrated voltage regulators. We intend to enforce this injunction and protect our valuable intellectual property. The global patent system is here precisely for the purpose of protecting inventors like myself and R2 Semiconductor.

- David Fisher, Chief Executive of R2 Semiconductors

AMD was recently shown to be clawing away market share from the blue team in the client segment, In terms of how this legal battle could affect consumers if Intel is ordered to initiate a "product recall", it could lead to a massive financial loss also since the popularity of Alder Lake is still present in the markets, but for now, consumers shouldn't worry.

News Source: The Financial Times