Rambus has signed an amendment to its current patent license agreement with Qimonda AG, a manufacturer of memory products.

This amendment extends the minimum term of the original patent license agreement, but specifies that in the event Infineon ceases to control or otherwise own a majority of Qimonda shares, certain competitors would not accede to the license upon their acquisition of control of Qimonda or a majority of Qimonda shares. The amendment further provides that any such acquirer would generally not acquire the benefit of a release from Rambus for past damages, including past infringement of Rambus' patent portfolio.

"This amendment paves the way for further cooperation between our two companies," said Robert Feurle, vice president Business Unit Specialty DRAM of Qimonda AG. "We look forward to collaborating with Rambus to develop state-of-the-art memory products for the high-volume computing and consumer electronics markets."

"Beyond the patent license, we are working with Qimonda on leadership products, such as the XDR memory architecture," said Sharon Holt, senior vice president of Worldwide Sales, Licensing, and Marketing at Rambus. "Together, our teams can provide the advanced memory solutions that enrich the experience of end-users worldwide."

Infineon and Rambus signed the original patent license agreement in March 2005. This patent license agreement was followed by a technology license for the XDR memory architecture signed by Qimonda and Rambus in January 2007.