TECHNOLOGY - June 10, 1992

Jury Weighing Intel-AMD Copyright Dispute: A federal jury in San Jose began deliberations in the last major legal dispute between bitter chip-making rivals Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Intel contends that AMD is violating its copyrights by using Intel-developed “microcode,” a special kind of instructions that are embedded in computer chips. AMD says it is entitled to use the microcode under a 1976 licensing agreement. While the current dispute involves an older, relatively unimportant chip known as the 297, the decision may determine whether AMD can use the microcode in its upcoming clone of Intel’s 486 microprocessor. The 486 is extremely important for AMD and for many PC manufacturers.