The United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles has granted MACOM’s request for a preliminary injunction, ruling in MACOM’s lawsuit against Infineon Technologies over GaN-on-Si technology rights. The October 31 ruling:

• confirmed MACOM’s continuing exclusive rights in certain GaN-on-Si RF fields under a 2010 license agreement between Nitronex (acquired by MACOM in 2014) and International Rectifier (acquired by Infineon in 2015)
• ruled that MACOM is likely to succeed with its claim that Infineon’s termination of the agreement was improper and “without effect” and
• granted a preliminary injunction, prohibiting Infineon from engaging in activities that violate the 2010 license agreement until the court finally decides the case.

In a press release announcing the court’s ruling, John Croteau, MACOM president and CEO, said, “We were forced to file this lawsuit to stand up to Infineon’s bullying and anticompetitive behavior. We are gratified by the court’s preliminary decision confirming that the GaN-on-Si rights granted to us under the 2010 license agreement remain in full force and effect and that Infineon acted improperly in trying to operate in our exclusive field of use.”

In July, Infineon and Cree announced that Infineon would buy Wolfspeed, a Cree subsidiary, for $850 million. Infineon will acquire Cree’s GaN on SiC technology for RF applications, SiC technology for power applications and Cree’s SiC wafer business. In the presentation to investors announcing the deal, Infineon declared its intent to become the market leader in RF power — from the third place today — with a substantial play in GaN on Si. So the outcome of MACOM’s lawsuit is critically important to both companies.