FTC finds Rambus monopolized power
updated 12:00 pm EDT, Wed August 2, 2006
Rambus Monopoly Finding
Rambus' reputation a few years ago was less than stellar. At the start of the 2000s, virtually anyone who bought an Intel-based computer had to use Rambus' RDRAM memory due to an agreement, even when it became clear that RDRAM was holding Intel's performance back: tests of then-new DDR memory showed that it was much faster. AMD's Athlon quickly gained the upper-hand for performance-minded users. It turns out that lower game performance wasn't Rambus' only fault. Today, the Federal Trade Commission found that Rambus was guilty of antitrust violations during that period. Essentially, Rambus maintained a deceptive facade: while it helped set common standards for RAM through JEDEC (an organization for electronic device makers), it was secretly establishing patents based on some of these standards - patents which the company in turn used to sue others for infringement. No punishment was determined in the initial ruling.
