Having patented a simple yet efficient design of a closed-loop liquid cooling system (LCS) that integrates a pump into the CPU water block in 2005, and successfully protected its IP for 20 years, Asetek has become the world’s leading OEM producer of all-in-one liquid coolers. However, that patent expires on May 6, 2025 — today — and thus Asetek loses its key advantage in the PC market and potentially some clients, reports Heise. Coincidentally, last month the company said it had received notification of interest in its liquid cooling business
The patent in question, registered as PCT/DK2005/000310 in Denmark and also known under the US number 8240362B2, was instrumental in defining the architecture of all-in-one liquid coolers for enthusiast grade PCs. Due to Asetek's legal strategy, many competitors were sued for using similar design approaches. As a result, while most products from various brands were built on this design principle, either through licensing agreements as a result of legal pressure, or by Asetek itself and then sold under other brands.
