Nvidia is fighting Dish Network to trademark the Hopper architecture GPU
Nvidia’s Hopper architecture is its first multi-chip module design (MCM) based GPU and will use TSMC’s 5nm process and CoWoS advanced packaging. Nvidia plans to launch a computing card with Hopper architecture GPU in mid-2022, which is said to provide three times the performance of the current A100 computing card.
If the rumored timeline is accurate, we’re only a few months away from the release of the Hopper-based GPU, though Nvidia seems to be having some non-technical issues. According to TomsHardware, Nvidia is now competing with Dish Network to trademark the Hopper-based GPU. Dish Network objected to Nvidia’s 2019 filing for “Nvidia Hopper” for infringing its own “Hopper” trademark.
Dish Network is a satellite broadcasting service provider in the United States, providing American users with satellite TV, satellite network, radio, and other services. Dish Network uses the “Hopper” trademark on its DVR and satellite receiver equipment. It’s easy to understand that Nvidia wants to register the “Hopper” trademark, after all, this is the code name for future GPUs. While the average person is unlikely to confuse Nvidia’s GPUs with Dish Network’s devices, legal interpretation is another matter.
The confrontation between the two sides began on April 23, 2021, Dish Network filed an objection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), arguing that it would be confused with its own use of trademarked terms, including Hopper, Hopper Go, Hopper Duo, and Hopper Plus. In fact, the scope of “Nvidia Hopper” is also very wide, including GPU, various software, cloud computing services, and various devices. After some fighting, the two sides began to try to negotiate a settlement, on and off in the months that followed, the last on December 23, 2021.
Given that the release of NVIDIA’s Hopper-based GPU is imminent, it may be best to seek a settlement as soon as possible.
