Micron hit with $445 million US verdict in Netlist patent trial

Netlist

24/05/2024 01:32

By Blake Brittain
       May 23 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Micron Technology  MU.O 
owes computer-memory company Netlist  NLST.PK  $445 million in
damages for violating Netlist's patent rights in memory-module
technology for high-performance computing, a U.S. jury said on
Thursday.
    Jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Texas agreed with Netlist that Micron's semiconductor-memory
products infringe two Netlist patents related to technology for 
improving the capacity and performance of memory modules. 
    The jury also concluded that Micron infringed the patents
willfully, which could lead to a judge multiplying the damages
by up to three times.
    Representatives for Micron did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the verdict.
    "We are grateful for the jury's service, and their
recognition of the importance of Netlist's innovation," Netlist
attorney Jason Sheasby said in a statement.
    Netlist won a $303 million verdict against Samsung in the
same court last year in a related dispute over high-performance
computer memory patents.
    Boise, Idaho-based Micron's stock price has surged this year
based on demand for its chips used to power
artificial-intelligence technology. Irvine, California-based
Netlist sued Micron in 2022, alleging that three of its
semiconductor memory-module lines infringed its patents.
    Micron denied the allegations and raised several defenses,
including arguments that the patents were invalid. 
    A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal invalidated one
of the patents in April, which could eventually reduce the size
of the verdict.

 (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington
Editing by David Bario and Lincoln Feast)
 ((blake.brittain@tr.com; +1 (202) 938-5713;))