On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear the Federal Trade Commission’s appeal against Rambus Inc. In the suit, the FTC accused the memory chip manufacturer of “deceptive conduct.” The FTC said Rambus advocated a new chip standard while not telling a standards group that they had patented the technology.
The Supreme Court’s decision sent shares of stock in Rambus up as much as 16 percent.
The FTC asked the Supreme Court to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. That court found that the FTC was incorrect in concluding that Rambus had acted in the interest of creating a monopoly.
General Counsel Tom Lavelle called the decision a big setback for the FTC. “I’m very pleased by the decision,” he said. “We think it’s the right decision.”
Jon Liebowitz, FTC Commissioner, said the commission would continue to make monopolization cases a priority.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing because we continue to believe that the D.C. Circuit got it wrong,” he said.