Dell Must Turn Over E-Mail
Source: Newsbytes
Saying that Dell Computer Corp. has been dragging its heels in turning over evidence for a long running patent-infringement lawsuit, a federal court judge has ordered the company to open up the e-mail archives of more than a dozen executives.
The order from U.S. District Court Judge Roderick McKelvie Tuesday specifically excluded the e-mail of Chief Executive Michael Dell, unless Dutch PC maker Tulip Computers International is able to come up with more evidence that Dell's founder was more closely involved in the development of a motherboard Tulip says mirrors one of its patented designs.
Tulip, headquartered in Amersfoort, southeast of Amsterdam, filed its patent-infringement lawsuit in a Delaware court in November 2000 after deciding that Dell copied its ideas for an AT-type motherboard that provides more elbow room for add-in PCI and ISA cards while promising better circulation of cooling air.
Tulip alleged that Dell had infringed on its 1997 patent with motherboards like those in its popular Optiplex line of PCs.
After nearly 18 months, the two sides were scheduled to wrap up the discovery phase of the lawsuit next week, but bickering over access to potential evidence is partly responsible for a postponement of that deadline, Judge McKelvie noted.
