AMD Necessary Party to Patent Licensee’s Infringement Suit (1)

A California federal court must consider whether Advanced Micro Devices Inc. must join an infringement lawsuit filed by its patent licensee, a federal appeals court has ruled.

AMD’s patent agreement with another company was a license, not a transfer, and AMD was a necessary party to the company’s infringement case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said May 30. The case was sent back to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to determine whether AMD could be joined.

The ruling shows how the Federal Circuit weighs when patent licensees lack substantial patents rights ...