3Dfx Sues nVidia

3Dfx Interactive announced that it has filed suit against nVidia Corporation for alleged patent infringements on 3Dfx's patented multitexturing technology. NVidia's newest processor, the Riva TNT, is said by 3Dfx to be the offender. 3Dfx says that the suit is the final straw after repeated attempts to come to a mutual agreement with nVidia.

"We see litigation as an unfortunate last resort," said Greg Ballard, president and chief executive officer of 3Dfx Interactive. "We regret having to pursue this matter legally, but it is imperative that we protect our intellectual property on behalf of our employees, shareholders, and industry partners. Our goal is to resolve this without disrupting the industry."

3Dfx has been developing multitexturing technology since 1996 when it first applied the technology to coin operated games and later in its Glide API.

NVidia isn't new to the world of patent suits. A lawsuit brought earlier by Silicon Graphics over an alleged infringement over texture mapping technology has yet to be resolved. As does a second suit brought by S3 against nVidia that alleged infringement over three patents based on VGA controller circuitry, scaleable windows, and the mixing of video and graphics data.

In addition, SGI and S3 attempted to get injunctions against nVidia from manufacturing or distributing its RIVA line of products. Both were unsuccessful in their attempts.