GlobalFoundries (GF) is suing Tower Semiconductor, having accused the Israeli semiconductor manufacturer of multiple instances of patent infringement.

In lawsuits filed in both the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and the District Court for the Western District of Texas, GF claimed that Tower has misappropriated its proprietary process technology.

In a statement, GF said its complaints allege that Tower “unlawfully uses GF’s patented manufacturing process technologies,” and has engaged in “unlicensed exploitation of GF’s R&D investments,” rather than developing these capabilities independently.

As a result, GF is asserting that Tower has infringed 11 of its US patents relating to high-performance technologies across a number of sectors, including automotive, aerospace, and communications infrastructure. The chipmaker wants the court to block Tower’s importation and the US sale of any products found to have infringed the patents, and compensate GF for any lost profits.

“Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most complex and capital-intensive industries in the world,” said Gregg Bartlett, chief technology officer at GF. “There is no shortcut to real innovation. Companies that attempt to extract value from patented process technologies without authorization or investment undermine fair competition and the integrity of the semiconductor ecosystem. Our actions are necessary to defend our intellectual property, protect the innovation that underpins it, and to ensure that competitors play by the same rules.”

Tower Semiconductor has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. DCD has reached out to the company for comment.