SPANSION, INC. AND SPANSION, LLC, Appellants, AND FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC., Appellant, AND ATI TECHNOLOGIES, ULC, Appellant, AND STMICROELECTRONICS N.V., Appellant, AND QUALCOMM INCORPORATED, Appellant, v. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION, Appellee, AND TESSERA, INC., Intervenor., 629 F.3d 1331

Summary

The patents at issue described a semiconductor package with the ability to accommodate this relative movement between components by inserting a layer of compliant material that was flexible, compressible, and/or elastic between the chip and its backing element. The resulting reduction of stress on solder balls and decreased the occurrence of package failure. Much of the ITC investigation and the argument revolved around the definition of "claimed movement" and whether it existed in the accused devices. Although an administrative law judge made initial findings largely favorable to the importers, the ITC reversed those holdings in its final determination. The court was obligated to review the final decision of the ITC for whether it was supported by substantial evidence. The ITC found both direct and contributory infringement under 35 U.S.C.S. § 271(c), as the importers were selling a component of the directly infringing devices, and the requisite knowledge for contributory infringement...