It just never seems to end does it? One lawsuit against Sony gets finished and someone else jumps in to take another jab- this time over the Cell processor itself.

Parallel Processing Corporation (PPC) are suing Sony for creating the Cell which, according to them, infringes on its patent of Synchronized Parallel Processing with Shared Memory (Patent no. 5,056,000), and using the said patent on its Cell processors.

The complaint, which is five pages long, claims the Cell uses their patented technology to break up the processing into smaller chunks running at the same time on parallel processors to speed up computing.

For those thinking this is someone else trying to make a buck off of what Sony did, this patent was approved back in 1991, when the original PlayStation was still on the drawing board. PPC claim they are the exclusive licensee and are seeking damages and attorney fees. Also included in the demands is "Impounding and destruction of all Sony products that infringe on the same patent",

Sony themselves refuse to comment on the pending litigation.

Do patents not expire after a period? Especially if you are not using them and not continually making modifications to your patent?

Most times, yes- however, the length of time is 20 years which means that patent is good until the year 2011. The PS3 falls well within that timeframe.

Most likely (this is my own guess on the matter) Sony may find it easier to settle out of court and continue on.