The ams-OSRAM Group (SIX: AMS), a global leader in light and sensor technology, and Munck Wilson Mandala, a full-service law firm with deep expertise in intellectual property and technology litigation, today announced a significant victory in a complex trade secret and breach of contract dispute that has spanned nearly two decades.
In ams OSRSM USA Inc. v. Renesas Electronics America, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a 3-0 decision in April 2025, affirming liability for a judgment in favor of ams OSRAM. The parties now have settled pursuant to an agreed final judgment of $51,770,243. The judgment marks the conclusion of a prolonged legal effort involving allegations of trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, and patent infringement.
“This decision affirms our long-standing commitment to protecting innovation and upholding the integrity of our intellectual property,” said Rainer Irle, chief financial officer at ams OSRAM. “I congratulate our legal team led by Franz Fazekas, Head of Legal Global, on the outcome and thank the team at Munck Wilson Mandala for their unwavering support over the past 17 years.”
“This is a victory nearly two decades in the making,” said lead co-counsel for the ams OSRAM team and co-chair of litigation, Munck Wilson Mandala partner Michael McCabe. “This win is a testament to the deep bench of intellectual property expertise at Munck Wilson Mandala and the tireless collaboration between our litigation team and the exceptional legal team at ams OSRAM.”
“Beyond the monetary figures, this case set important legal precedents,” said lead co-counsel for the ams OSRAM team and chair of patent litigation Mike Wilson. “The Federal Circuit’s affirmation of liability for trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract reinforces the principle that confidential information shared during business discussions must be respected and protected.”
In addition to the culmination of 17 years of litigation, this win represents navigating a case that involved multiple ownership changes on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of the table, two successful jury verdicts, and two favorable appeals.
The litigation began in 2008, after merger discussions between Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions, Inc. (TAOS) and Intersil Corporation concluded without agreement. During those discussions, TAOS shared proprietary technology with Intersil Corporation under a confidentiality agreement. TAOS was acquired by ams OSRAM in 2011, and Intersil by Renesas in 2017.
Although Intersil later certified destruction of the confidential materials, it subsequently released a competing product incorporating TAOS’s, now ams OSRAM’s, trade secrets, resulting in significant business losses on sales that went to Intersil instead of TAOS.
Munck Wilson Mandala filed a lawsuit in 2008 in the Eastern District of Texas, when the client’s chief executive Kirk Laney reached out to McCabe, who had just joined the firm. McCabe presented the contingency plaintiff’s case to his partners and in true Munck Wilson Mandala fashion, a fight for justice on behalf of a smaller client facing a larger adversary commenced.
“We knew this would be a fight — and we never backed down,” said William A. Munck, global managing partner of Munck Wilson Mandala. “The faces of the opposing parties may have changed over time, but the facts never did. This case was about protecting our client’s hard-earned innovations from a party that stole and profited from them. We held them accountable — and we delivered.”
The litigation team began the journey of fighting for an innovative company facing grim circumstances, and they never wavered from their belief that the potential to win was within their reach. However, the complex nature of the litigation, along with procedural complications, led to a seven-year delay before the dispute could be tried before a jury.
In 2015, a jury awarded ams OSRAM $88.8 million in damages. While the Federal Circuit upheld liability in a 2018 ruling, it vacated the damages award, prompting a second jury trial in 2021. That jury awarded $86 million, which the district court later adjusted pursuant to Texas law for a final award of approximately $48.2 million, comprising disgorgement damages, reasonable royalties, exemplary damages, and interest.
In 2022, the court awarded an additional $3.9 million in attorneys’ fees to Munck Wilson Mandala, recognizing the substantial risks involved in litigating the case on a contingency basis. As noted in the district court’s attorney’s fees award, “It cannot be ignored the significant inherent risk Munck Wilson undertook by accepting this case on a contingent fee basis. Counsel spent seven years getting this case to the first trial, and four weeks presenting the case to a jury. Counsel waited years to find out whether ams OSRAM indeed prevailed while the case was on appeal. On remand, victory was far from assured, and millions of dollars’ worth of recovery hung in the balance.”
The April 2025 Federal Circuit decision affirmed every issue except for the calculation for prejudgment interest. The parties then settled, closing the chapter on one of the most significant trade secret cases in recent years.
The litigation team at Munck Wilson Mandala was led by McCabe and Wilson, and included partners Chase Cobern, Jordan Strauss, Robert McCutcheon, and Munck. Oral argument at the Federal Circuit was presented by Cobern.
The ams OSRAM legal team was led by Dr. Franz Fazekas, vice president and global head of legal and his team, in particular Martin Pecher.
“This has been an ongoing legal fight for ams OSRAM and we have been honored to stand by them through the original verdict and fight to uphold the verdicts on appeal,” said McCabe.
“This landmark decision not only reinforces ams OSRAM’s rights but also solidifies Munck Wilson Mandala’s reputation as a formidable force in trade secret and intellectual property litigation,” added Munck.
The case is ams-OSRSM USA Inc. v. Renesas Electronics America, Inc., 133 F.4th 1337 (Fed. Cir. 2025) (opinion) (oral argument) (final judgment).
About Munck Wilson Mandala
Munck Wilson Mandala is a technology-focused, full-service law firm with offices in Dallas, Austin, Houston, Waco, Los Angeles, and Boca Raton. The firm is recognized by Best Lawyers as a “Best Law Firm” in 21 practice areas and is known for its deep bench of talent in intellectual property, litigation, corporate law, employment, and real estate. Learn more at www.munckwilson.com.
About ams OSRAM
The ams-OSRAM Group (SIX: AMS) is a global leader in optical solutions with more than 110 years of experience in innovation across illumination, visualization, and sensing. Headquartered in Premstaetten, Austria, and co-headquartered in Munich, Germany, the group serves customers in automotive, industrial, medical, and consumer markets, supported by approximately 19,700 employees worldwide. The company generated revenues of EUR 3.4 billion in 2024. Learn more at https://ams-osram.com.
