February 26 - 5:15pm EST   Hard drive and flash-based memory maker Seagate announced on Thursday that is has dropped its patent suit against competitor Stec and that Stec has likewise dropped its countersuit, Forbes reports. Seagate said in a statement that pursuing the matter is no longer cost-efficient and the recent poor economic conditions have slowed Stec's sales of the technology that was being disputed in the lawsuit. [full story]

April 15 - 1:00pm EDT   Seagate has begun the first of what may be several lawsuits against makers of flash memory, show filings from the US District Court in San Francisco. It has accused STEC, formerly known as Simple Technology, of violating four patents it owns, connected to the creation of flash memory -- should it win, Seagate could be granted an injunction against STEC products as well as unspecified damages. Seagate CEO Bill Watkins argues that compensation would be well-due, as it has invested heavily in developing technology for SSD drives, and it has tried to persuade other companies to license its patents. [full story]