Legal woes mar Rambus’ future

This ZDNet News story quite possibly offers the understatement of the year when describing the sad situation of memory chip designer Rambus: “Things are likely to get worse.” While the company was expected to report a small profit today, analysts not that the company faces a dicey future, thanks in no small part to its continuing train wreck of a legal campaign, in which it is suing several large memory makers for patent infringement. Rambus’ legal prospects aren’t very bright: In the U.S., the company’s claims against one rival were dismissed (with the judge upholding the defandant’s counterclaim of fraud), and an Italian court has found in favor of another defendant.