
Success for 3dfx in the patent dispute with nVidia
Will there be no more GeForce soon? The graphics card manufacturer 3dfx was able to record a partial flight in its patent lawsuit against nVidia before a court in the USA.
In the patent lawsuit that 3dfx filed in September 1998, 3dfx accused nVidia of their graphics cards against the 3dfx- To violate patents 'Multi-Texturing' and 'Mipmap Dithering', as these are used in nVidia's graphics cards. The court now ruled 3dfx that the protected patents for 'Multi-Texturing' and 'Mipmap Dithering' are owned by 3dfx. nVidia could now either be sentenced to pay damages or to ban all graphics cards from a TNT chip - this would also mean the end of the GeForce.