Litigation and Asserted Claims	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
LitigationAndAssertedClaimsDisclosureAbstract
Litigation and Asserted Claims	Litigation and Asserted Claims SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 Litigation (“DDR2”) U.S District Court in the Northern District of California On January 25, 2005, Rambus filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against SK hynix, Infineon, Nanya, and Inotera. On January 13, 2006, Rambus also filed suit against Micron in the same court for patent infringement. Infineon and Inotera were subsequently dismissed from this litigation as was Samsung, which previously had been added as a defendant. Rambus alleged that certain of its patents were infringed by certain of the defendants' DDR2 and other advanced memory products. On June 11, 2013, Rambus and SK hynix announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties and on December 9, 2013, Rambus and Micron announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties, which is described in Note 15, "Agreements with SK hynix and Micron. On March 23, 2014, Rambus and Nanya announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties. As a result of such settlements, all DDR2 litigation has been dismissed. Potential Future Litigation In addition to the litigation described above, companies continue to adopt Rambus technologies into various products. Rambus has notified many of these companies of their use of Rambus technology and continues to evaluate how to proceed on these matters. In the ordinary course of business, Rambus may also be involved in other various legal proceedings and claims related to commercial, corporate and securities, labor and employment, wage and hour, and other types of claims. There can be no assurance that any future litigation will be successful or resolved favorably to the Company. The outcome of any litigation, as well as any delay in its resolution, is inherently uncertain and could adversely affect Rambus' ability to license its intellectual property in the future. The Company records a contingent liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable in accordance with accounting for contingencies.

Litigation and Asserted Claims

SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 Litigation (“DDR2”)

U.S District Court in the Northern District of California

On January 25, 2005, Rambus filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against SK hynix, Infineon, Nanya, and Inotera. On January 13, 2006, Rambus also filed suit against Micron in the same court for patent infringement. Infineon and Inotera were subsequently dismissed from this litigation as was Samsung, which previously had been added as a defendant. Rambus alleged that certain of its patents were infringed by certain of the defendants' DDR2 and other advanced memory products. On June 11, 2013, Rambus and SK hynix announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties and on December 9, 2013, Rambus and Micron announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties, which is described in Note 15, "Agreements with SK hynix and Micron. On March 23, 2014, Rambus and Nanya announced that they had entered into a settlement of all outstanding disputes between the parties. As a result of such settlements, all DDR2 litigation has been dismissed.

Potential Future Litigation

In addition to the litigation described above, companies continue to adopt Rambus technologies into various products. Rambus has notified many of these companies of their use of Rambus technology and continues to evaluate how to proceed on these matters. In the ordinary course of business, Rambus may also be involved in other various legal proceedings and claims related to commercial, corporate and securities, labor and employment, wage and hour, and other types of claims. There can be no assurance that any future litigation will be successful or resolved favorably to the Company. The outcome of any litigation, as well as any delay in its resolution, is inherently uncertain and could adversely affect Rambus' ability to license its intellectual property in the future.

The Company records a contingent liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable in accordance with accounting for contingencies.