Purdue U wins $32.5 million from chipmaker STMicro in patent verdict

Dec 5 (Reuters) - European chipmaker STMicroelectronics (STMPA.PA) owes Purdue University $32.5 million in damages for infringing a patent related to transistor technology, a jury in West Texas court said in a verdict made public on Tuesday.

The jury agreed with Purdue that ST's silicon carbide metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) used in electric-vehicle chargers and other products violate the university's patent rights in transistors used for "high-voltage power applications."

A spokesperson for ST said on Tuesday that the company will appeal the verdict.

Purdue attorney Michael Shore said that the evidence against ST was "overwhelming," and that the company may have to pay over $100 million more in royalties before the patent expires in 2026.

MOSFETs are generally used in electronics to control and amplify the flow of electricity. Purdue sued ST in 2021, accusing the Geneva, Switzerland-based company's MOSFETs of infringing two school patents related to transistor technology.

The West Lafayette, Indiana university dropped one of the patents from the case last year. ST denied the allegations and argued that the remaining Purdue patent was invalid.

The case is Purdue University v. STMicroelectronics International N.V., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, No. 6:21-cv-00727.