Seagate sues SSD maker STEC

Seagate was talking a big game last month about how SSD makers like Samsung and Intel were infringing its patents, and the company wasn't joking around, following up all that tough talk with... what appears to be a test case against relatively minor vendor STEC. Seagate says STEC's drives violate four patents it holds on SSD interfaces and that while "it's not a big financial issue yet," the company wants "to set things straight." As you'd expect, STEC doesn't feel quite as casual about the situation, saying that it's been making SSDs since 1994, before any of Seagate's patents were filed, and that it's going to aggressively defend Seagate's "desperate" claims and seek to invalidate its patents. many of which it believes aren't even relevant to SSD technology. That sounds like a fight to us -- get ready for some nonstop paperwork legal thrills, people.

Read - NYT article about the suit
Read - Official STEC response

[Rob @ Apr 15th 2008 12:08PM]

Once upon a time Seagate used to make good hdd. Then they bought Maxtor. Today, they make crap.

[Andrew Campbell @ Apr 15th 2008 2:07PM]

Really? I'm rather fond of my FreeAgent Desktop Drive. It was quite the bargain too, at the time: 320GB at 7200 RPM for $130. Care to explain to me your definition of crap?

[Mark @ Apr 15th 2008 12:09PM]

seagate likes porn.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Apr 15th 2008 12:12PM]

What a surprise a big company suing a small company.
intel and samsung next and then the world.

if they su everybody the cost of ssd drives will probably rise

f*ckin patents and chuffin suing culture

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 1:13PM]

If STEC lose this it just goes to prove it's not about what's right or the law, it's about who has the biggest legal budget!

Absolutely ridiculous these companies should fight on bringing great products to market at a competitive price, not with patents!

[ITRanger @ Apr 15th 2008 12:47PM]

'Hmmm ... Intel, Samsung, We may need to think about those big boys. Let's just sue and annihilate that small company first ... '

[Mark @ Apr 15th 2008 12:51PM]

eventual merger perhaps?

[The New Guy @ Apr 15th 2008 1:05PM]

Lawsuit galore!!!

I should've become a Patent lawyer! I should've listened to my uncle!! :(

[Dixonij @ Apr 15th 2008 1:14PM]

SSD's will never get cheap at this rate if manufacturers keep suing each other over patent infringements.

[Mike @ Apr 15th 2008 4:36PM]

It's simple. They're trying to get a legal precedent by beating a small company like STEC. They can then use that precedent to take on Samsung and Intel. If they tried to take on Intel or Samsung directly they could easily get bogged down in paperwork for 10 years ... look at Amberwave.

Still I would suspect that Intel and Samsung will chip in to help STEC, because they last thing they want is for Seagate to get a nice legal precedent.

Is it just me or does this sound like Rambus all over again?

[STEC4Me @ Apr 15th 2008 10:36PM]

Right on brother...
Rambus took 10 years with Micron, let's see how long it takes Seagate. I have a feeling STEC is not going to be an easy win for them...

[kuade @ Apr 15th 2008 10:35PM]

I for one am outraged! Seagate needs to just let it go... STEC doesn't even produce consumer based drives, they specialize in server applications. I only know this because I am a STEC stockholder.

[Kent N @ Apr 16th 2008 7:49AM]

Yeah, and next Seagate will sue my butt for making something that turns lunch money into crap in under 24 hours.

I've had 3 external Seagates in the last 2 years, of 2 different designs including the current one, and they have all crapped out in a matter of weeks.