Mentor Graphics had filed a patent infringement suit against EVE in the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Oregon. The suit alleges that EVE products violate Mentor Graphics' patent rights under United States Patent No. 6,876,962 issued April 5, 2005, and seeks damages and to bar their manufacture and sale in the United States.

"Intellectual property is the lifeblood of a technology company," said Tom Evans, corporate intellectual property counsel for Mentor Graphics. "We have an obligation to our shareholders to defend our intellectual property when we believe it has been infringed."