Chip manufacturer Micron Technology (MU.O) has been ordered by a U.S. jury to pay computer-memory company Netlist (NLST.PK) $445 million in damages for breaching Netlist’s patent rights concerning memory-module technology for high-performance computing. The verdict, rendered by jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, supports Netlist’s claims that Micron’s semiconductor-memory products infringe on two of Netlist’s patents related to enhancing memory module capacity and performance.
The jury also found that Micron’s infringement of the patents was deliberate, potentially leading to the multiplication of damages by up to three times at the judge’s discretion. Micron has yet to respond to requests for comment on the verdict.
Netlist’s attorney, Jason Sheasby, expressed gratitude for the jury’s acknowledgment of Netlist’s innovation in a statement following the verdict. This ruling follows Netlist’s $303 million victory against Samsung in the same court last year, involving a similar dispute over high-performance computer memory patents.
Micron, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, has seen its stock value rise substantially this year due to the growing demand for its chips utilized in artificial intelligence technology. Netlist, based in Irvine, California, filed a lawsuit against Micron in 2022, alleging infringement of its patents by three of Micron’s semiconductor memory module lines. Micron refuted these allegations and presented various defenses, including arguments questioning the validity of the patents.
In April, a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal invalidated one of the patents, which could potentially impact the size of the verdict in the future.
