US manufacturer Micron has lost a major patent infringement lawsuit brought by Netlist, with a US jury ruling that the company is guilty of using patents to produce technology used in memory modules.
The court ruled that an amount of $445 million or more in damages will have to be paid to Netlist. The case involved two patents: number 417 and number 912. There are $20 million related to the first, while the second will be charged $425 million for damages and losses.
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Furthermore, it was decided by the jury that Micron committed the infraction intentionally – which could result in multipliers of up to three times for the compensation amounts mentioned above, depending on each judge’s assessment.
The case was analyzed in the Eastern District of Texas, in the United States. The accusation came from Netlist, pointing to Micron as responsible for violating its patents to improve the capacity of its memory modules and performance – pointing to some of its products as examples of the use of its technology.
Although the case against Micron requires a large amount, it is notable that the manufacturer holds a considerable share of the high-bandwidth memory market and has some achievements in its path – such as all of its HBM memory production having already been sold for the year. -2024 calendar. In other words, it will affect profits, but not significantly.
Micron can still defend itself
Even though it is accused and the jury determines the payment that Micron must make to Netlist, the manufacturer can still defend itself and some factors indicate that this will happen.
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board determined, in April 2024, that patent number 912 was not valid and should be canceled. If it appeals, it is possible that Micron will be able to reverse the largest charge in this case and have “only” the amount of $20 million to pay towards the accusation.
It is important to note that this is not the first time that Netlist has gone against giant memory manufacturers. In 2023 they also won a case against Samsung, obtaining a favorable decision and earning $303 million from the South Korean company.
Fonte: Tom’s Hardware
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Source: https://www.adrenaline.com.br/tech/micron-perde-processo-patente-pagara-445-milhoes/
