On September 1, 2021, Wilson Sonsini secured a complete trial victory for Taiwan-based semiconductor company Cyntec in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California when a jury unanimously found in favor of Cyntec in its patent dispute with Chilisin Electronic Corp.

Cyntec and Chilisin are two leading companies in the production of small, high-performance molding chokes (inductors). These chokes are critical to the operation of virtually all mobile devices, including smart phones, tablets, and laptops. The court found that Chilisin’s mixed-powder molded-type chokes used in smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and other compact-size electronics infringe two Cyntec patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 8,922,312 and U.S. Patent No. 9,481,037. The jury awarded Cyntec lost profits and also assessed a reasonable royalty at 5 percent. Importantly, the jury found that Chilisin’s infringement was willful, and that Chilisin has induced its customers to infringe through importation of accused products into the United States.

The Wilson Sonsini team that represented Cyntec in the litigation included partners James Yoon and Lucy Yen; associates Christopher Mays, Celine Liu; paralegal Bruce Chiang; and support staff Kathy Ramos and Robin Pezzimenti.