Cooler Master makes patent infringement payment to Asetek

Liquid-cooling specialist Asetek has received a whopping £464,000 payment from Cooler Master following a court ruling that the company had infringed two of Asetek's patents.

Known for its range of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM) liquid-cooling hardware, Asetek holds a range of patents which it aggressively defends. In 2012, the company sued rival CoolIT shortly after being granted applicable patents, then in 2013 sued Cooler Master over the latter's Seidon liquid coolers. In December 2014, a court ruled that Cooler Master had indeed infringed two of Asetek's patents and demanded damages of £313,000 based on a licensing royalty rate of 14.5 percent.

Cooler Master, naturally, appealed the ruling, which centred around US Patent 8240362 and the revised update US Patent 8245764, both described as a 'cooling system for a computer system' and effectively describing an all-in-one cooling loop comprised of a reservoir and coldplate with integrated pump. Its appeal, however, failed, and this week the company made its royalty payments to Asetek totalling around £464,000 - the originally ordered damages plus interest.

'This award signifies another successful defence of Asetek's intellectual property,' claimed André Sloth Eriksen, founder and chief executive of Asetek, who is the named party on the patents in question. 'As part of efforts to build and maintain market share, we closely review and assess all competitive offerings for infringement of our patents. We are pleased with our success in defending them.'

Cooler Master has not commented on the appeal's failure nor the payment.