Heading: Micron Technology Owes Netlist $445 Million in Damages for Patent Infringement

A U.S. jury has ordered chipmaker Micron Technology to pay computer-memory company Netlist a whopping $445 million in damages for violating Netlist’s patent rights in memory-module technology for high-performance computing. The verdict, handed down by jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, found that Micron’s semiconductor-memory products infringed two Netlist patents related to technology for enhancing memory module capacity and performance.

The jury also ruled that Micron infringed the patents willfully, potentially leading to the damages being multiplied by up to three times. Micron, based in Boise, Idaho, has seen a surge in its stock price this year due to the demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology.

In response to the verdict, Netlist’s attorney Jason Sheasby expressed gratitude for the jury’s recognition of Netlist’s innovation. This isn’t the first time Netlist has emerged victorious in a patent dispute, as the company previously won a $303 million verdict against Samsung in the same court last year over high-performance computer memory patents.

Micron has denied the allegations and raised defenses claiming that the patents in question were invalid. Despite a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal invalidating one of the patents in April, which could potentially reduce the damages, the outcome of the case represents a significant victory for Netlist.

The ongoing legal battle between these two tech giants underscores the competitive landscape of the semiconductor industry and the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.