Asetek Tells AMD and GIGABYTE to Stop Sales of R9 Fury X and GTX 980 Water Force

[newtekie1]

Oh for crying out loud, would companies just for once stop behaving like freaking children in a sand pit?! Jesus. If there was patent infringement, sue them and take part of required royalties, don't freaking screw users. Damn.

The thing is, they have. CoolerMaster isn't paying licensing fees, so now AseTek is completely justified in demanding the product not be allowed to be sold.

And maybe it is just me, but I'm getting the feeling this was CoolerMasters way to get rid of units they couldn't sell because of the lawsuit. Hoping they could just sell them off to AMD, like at just enough to break even, as a better alternative to just throwing them in the trash.

I think it is too early to point the finger at AMD, or even point it at AMD at all.

The Fury X AIO is supplied by CM, if CM assured AMD that everything was in order, there is little left to do for AMD. AMD can sue or demand compensation from CM instead.

This is true. AMD is really a victim of CoolerMaster here. When they struck the deal with CoolerMaster, it was up to CoolerMaster to make sure the licensing to AseTek was covered. AMD just bought a product from a company, now it turns out that company is shady and not paying the licensing and it is screwing over AMD, but that is the fault of the company selling the product not the customer buying it.

 

[Ubersonic]

I think it is too early to point the finger at AMD, or even point it at AMD at all.

The Fury X AIO is supplied by CM, if CM assured AMD that everything was in order, there is little left to do for AMD. AMD can sue or demand compensation from CM instead.

The is another aspect though, the 295X2 had an Asetek cooler, and AMD would certainly have got a price from them for the Fury cooler. The fact that CM were able to undercut the company they should be paying design royalties too should have been a red flag for AMD.

The AIO patents from Asetek and its solution are being used in a great number of products...

/snip

... and these are all paid for. CM is the odd one out here.

A lot of those are actually built by Asetek with somebody else's name on them too.

 

[natr0n]

Next thing you know you'll get cease and desist for turning a shower knob.

 

[Vayra86]

Next thing you know you'll get cease and desist for turning a shower knob.

Only Samsung and Apple showers I reckon

 

[newtekie1]

Next thing you know you'll get cease and desist for turning a shower knob.

You laugh, but I worked in the plumbing industry, patent lawsuits like this are not just confined to the IT world. Moen sues Delta, Delta sues Pfister, Pfister sues Moen...all over the same valve patent they all claim to own. This is why to replace a leaking valve in your faucet you have to reference a book to find the right one. They could all very easily use the same valve, and make it easy for the consumer, but each has to use a slightly different one and patent it so no one else can use it...then they get to charge $40 for a replacement valve that should cost $5. And oh man if a competitor releases a compatible product the lawsuits start to fly!

I worked at the plumbing store for a little under a year, and in that time we had to take at least 10 products off the showroom floor because they were discontinued by the manufacturer due to patent infringement...

 

[iO]

The is another aspect though, the 295X2 had an Asetek cooler, and AMD would certainly have got a price from them for the Fury cooler. The fact that CM were able to undercut the company they should be paying design royalties too should have been a red flag for AMD.

I dont think its all about the cost.
Asetek's round coldplates are less suited for the big die and HBM stacks than e.g. CoolerMaster's rectangle design...

 

[lanceknightnight]

Asetek are idiots. They get 14.5% of the profits of an item they have no manufacturing cost, R and D cost or marketing cost to produce. They won a check being sent and in the industrial world a profit of 14 % is actually pretty good. 14% for no infrastructure investments is amazing. Let the Fury run it's course then clamp down on the next gen of cards. We as consumers will be hooked on the lower noise, better speed and better install options. But cease and desist for the purchaser not the infringer. This will just lower a great opportunity to move liquid cooling more mainstream.

 

[the54thvoid]

AMD is IDIOTS

Have a lollipop go to bed and come back to adult land when you're 10 years older.

 

[KainXS]

more than likely CM gave AMD a really good price for their solution and promised AMD their would be no problems with patents and whatnot and flatout lied to them because I can't see any way that AMD did not ask CM after they lost to Asetek and then refused to stop selling the 120 CLC's after that. (which made the judge make them pay twice as much and stop)

Its pretty odd that AMD went with that CM loop though, been wondering that since 2 months ago really.

 

[Norton]

The courts have ordered Cooler Master to pay 14.5 percent royalties from revenues on each infringing product sold in the market, to Asetek.

Wouldn't this be about $7 per card? I can't see CM charging AMD more than $50 per unit.... seems like a pass-thru expense that someone is trying to put in their pocket.

 

[HumanSmoke]

Asetek are idiots. They get 14.5% of the profits of an item they have no manufacturing cost, R and D cost or marketing cost to produce. They won a check being sent and in the industrial world a profit of 14 % is actually pretty good.

Do you not understand the situation? Did you not read the previous posts or the source article? Asetek were awarded a 14.5% licensing royalty but CoolerMaster decided it didn't want to pay it. The matter went before the courts again, and as of this time CoolerMaster still hasn't paid anything to Asetek - hence the C&D's.

For those still interested and with the ability to follow a link, here is AMD's official interim response. It sounds like Asetek and AMD will reach some kind of accommodation.

AMD is IDIOTS

Doing your part to prove that a prerequisite for having internet access should be passing an aptitude test?

 

[R-T-B]

Asetek patented a design that was invented and utilised by another company, years prior to the filing. It's like me filing a patent for the design of the fork, and then suing every manufacturer for using a design that has been used for hundreds of years.

Ok, as a completely uneducated consumer in this field, who invented this patent prior to Asetek?

Of course, this isn't hard to believe... I mean Edison patented the cylinder player (old phonograph) despite blatantly copying another guys work by his own admission.