By: Mel R. Quintos

Decided on June 3, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) case of Creative Integrated Systems, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc. is an appeal by plaintiff Creative Integrated Systems after a Markman hearing where claim language is interpreted. The district court found that Nintendo of America did not infringe Creative Integrated Systems’ improved ROM (read only memory) device.

The patent at issue, U.S. Patent No. 5,241,497, relates to improvements in the circuitry and methodology of the sub-circuits included within a very large scale integrated (VLSI) ROM. Illustrated below is the memory cell array that contains all of the data stored in the ROM. Three lines connect the cell blocks 77 to one another with the following metallization lines: a ground line VGO, a ground line VG1, and one main bit line BLO.–click here to read more—