Wow, Intel launches major lawsuit on NVIDIA

(image found on techtree.com)
It looks like the wedding is over folks.

Intel Corp. is suing partner NVIDIA to stop it from developing compatible chipsets for future generation Intel processors, a sign that the world's largest chipmaker isn't taking favorably to NVIDIA's encroachment on the market, which has recently resulted in a loss of business from Apple.

In the complaint filed Monday in Delaware Chancery Court, Intel alleges that NVIDIA's plans to develop chipsets for Intel's emerging Nehalem microarchitecture will violate a patent-licensing agreement the two Santa Clara, Calif.-based companies signed back in 2004.

That agreement paved the way for NVIDIA's MCP79 platform, a chipset compatible with Intel's current-generation of Core processors, to find its way into Apple's entire notebook family last October at Intel's expense. However, Intel maintains that the agreement does not extend to new processors that include integrated memory functionality.

"Our suit seeks to have the court declare that NVIDIA is not licensed to produce chipsets that are compatible with any Intel processor that has integrated memory controller functionality, such as Intel's 'Nehalem' family of processors, and that NVIDIA has breached the agreement with Intel by falsely claiming that it is licensed," an Intel spokesperson told AppleInsider. "Nothing in the 2004 license agreement extends NVIDIA's rights to Intel's new CPU architecture."

So i wonder what will happen with the current chip sets and earlier models that are on the market place. Will they keep up with drivers and bios updates?

Intel sues NVIDIA to halt development of future chipsets (AppleInsider)
Intel, Nvidia go to Court Over Chipsets (techtree)
Intel, Nvidia Head to Court Over Chip Sets (Wallstreet journal)
Intel Goes to Court in Licensing Spat With Nvidia (PCworld)