BTW klwr, the bigger point of that article was that the case did settle prior to the court date. This is to help investors better understand how the process can work as we are about to embark in a similar fashion.

"Alcatel-Lucent SA, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, settled patent infringement claims against Acer Inc's Gateway yesterday that were part of a larger dispute with Microsoft Corp and Dell Inc.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman Mary Ward said. A trial against Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, and Dell was scheduled to begin next week in federal court in San Diego.