MOSFET provider Force Mos Technology has secured a legal victory in a patent infringement lawsuit against Asus, with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruling in its favor on February 13, 2025. The court found Asus guilty of willful infringement and ordered the company to pay US$10.5 million in damages.
Following the ruling, Force Mos Technology announced plans to seek an injunction to block the sale of infringing MOSFET products in the US market. The company also stated that it would continue collecting evidence to safeguard its intellectual property and business interests.
The dispute dates back to 2022 when Force Mos Technology identified that Asus was selling notebooks in the US that allegedly incorporated MOSFET components infringing on its patents. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue through legal notices and communications, no resolution was reached, prompting Force Mos Technology to file a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas.
According to the company, the infringing MOSFETs are widely used in consumer electronics, including notebooks, PCs, tablets, and battery modules, with each device potentially incorporating dozens to over a hundred such components. The prolonged infringement, Force Mos Technology argued, has resulted in significant financial losses.
The court's ruling includes the possibility of enhanced damages due to the jury's finding of willful infringement. Additionally, Asus may be required to cover some or all of Force Mos Technology's legal expenses.
Force Mos Technology reaffirmed its commitment to protecting its intellectual property and ensuring compliance with patent laws. It intends to take further legal steps to prevent the sale of electronic products containing the disputed MOSFETs in the US market.
Asus has argued that the technology in question was sourced from a third-party supplier, contending that, based on industry practices, the supplier should bear the responsibility for any infringement. The company has stated its intention to appeal the ruling.
Background
The original complaint was filed on November 28, 2022, and Force MOS followed up with a First Amended Complaint on March 7, 2023, after discovering that certain laptop models sold by Asus in the US incorporated disputed components.
Adding to the case's complexity, Inergy Technology filed two Inter Partes Review (IPR) petitions challenging two of the asserted patents. Although Asus requested a stay of the proceedings pending the outcome of these IPRs, the court denied the motion on April 10, 2024, noting that even a favorable IPR decision would not resolve all significant issues in the case.
