Jury Orders Rambus to Pay $3.5 Million

A federal jury Wednesday ordered Rambus Inc., whose technology helps boost the performance of memory microchips, to pay $3.5 million in punitive damages after finding it liable for fraud in a dispute with German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies.

Los Altos, Calif.-based Rambus said it will appeal and file briefs with the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va.

Infineon said Rambus hid the fact it was applying for patents for Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory chips at the same time JEDEC, an industry group, was developing common standards for the chips.

Rambus shares closed down 90 cents to $12.80 on Nasdaq, a 52-week low. In after-hours trading, Rambus shares fell to $12.40 in light trading, according to Instinet. Infineon shares closed down $1.90, to $39.90 on the New York Stock Exchange.