LONDON (Reuters) - Intel ( INTC ) on Wednesday won the London leg of a global patent dispute with U.S. rival R2 Semiconductor, which had been seeking an injunction potentially preventing the sale of some of Intel's ( INTC ) chips.

R2 sued Intel ( INTC ) at London's High Court in 2022, arguing Intel ( INTC ) had infringed its patent by marketing chips and processors containing fully integrated voltage regulators.

Intel ( INTC ) counterclaimed to invalidate R2's patent, which relates to on-chip power supplies for computer microprocessors, and the High Court ruled in its favour on Wednesday.

Judge Richard Hacon said in a written ruling following a trial in April that R2's patent is invalid due to the lack of an "inventive step" when building on previous inventions.

The judge added, however, that Intel ( INTC ) would have infringed R2's patent had it been valid.

Intel ( INTC ) and R2 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

R2's lawyers argued in court filings that "the entirety of Intel's ( INTC ) current product line of microchips, processors or other microelectronic devices that incorporate a fully integrated voltage regulator" had infringed its patent.

The company was seeking an injunction preventing further alleged infringement, which could have stopped Intel ( INTC ) selling products, including its "Ice Lake" server chips.

Wednesday's ruling contrasts with a decision in R2's favour given by a German court in February.

The regional court in Dusseldorf ruled that Intel ( INTC ) products infringed R2's patent, a finding which is under appeal, according to Intel's ( INTC ) lawyers in the London litigation.

Intel ( INTC ) and R2 are also engaged in similar litigation in France and Italy.