What did Netlist accuse Samsung of in the patent lawsuit?

Netlist said Samsung’s memory modules used in cloud computing servers and other data-intensive technology infringed its patents. Netlist also argued that its inventions improve power efficiency and help users extract useful information from vast amounts of data more quickly.

How has Samsung responded to Netlist’s patent claims?

Samsung denied the allegations and argued that Netlist’s patents were invalid and that Samsung’s technology worked differently. The company has also filed a related lawsuit in Delaware federal court, accusing Netlist of failing to offer fair licenses for technology needed to comply with international standards.

Samsung ordered to pay $118 mil. for infringing Netlist patents

Q: Why did the Texas jury say Samsung had to pay Netlist $118 million?

The jury found that Samsung Electronics infringed Netlist patents tied to technology for improving data processing in high-performance memory products. It also decided the infringement was willful, which could allow the judge to increase the award.

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Summary

A federal jury in Marshall, Texas, ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Netlist $118 million for infringing memory patents. The jury also found the infringement was willful, which could let a judge raise the award by up to three times. The verdict follows a related $303 million case and comes as Samsung separately pursues a Delaware lawsuit against Netlist.

Key Facts

Netlist sued Samsung in 2022 over memory modules used in cloud computing servers and other data-intensive technology.
Netlist said its patents cover technology that improves power efficiency and helps users derive useful information from large amounts of data faster.
Samsung denied the allegations, saying the patents were invalid and its technology worked differently.
Netlist also won $445 million from Micron in May in a separate lawsuit over some of the same patents.

Published Nov 24, 2024 4:12 pm KST
Updated Nov 25, 2024 7:54 am KST

The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jan. 7, 2013. Reuters-Yonhap

A federal jury in Marshall, Texas, on Friday awarded computer memory company Netlist $118 million in damages from Samsung Electronics in a patent lawsuit over technology for improving data processing in high-performance memory products.

The verdict follows a $303 million verdict against Samsung for Irvine, California-based Netlist in a related case last year.

Netlist also won $445 million from chipmaker Micron in May in a separate lawsuit over some of the same patents.

Spokespeople for Samsung and Netlist did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Friday verdict. The jury also determined that Samsung's infringement was willful, which could lead to a judge increasing the award by up to three times.

Netlist sued Samsung in 2022, alleging that the Korean tech giant's memory modules used in cloud computing servers and other data-intensive technology infringed its patents. Netlist said its innovations increase the power efficiency of memory modules and enable users to "derive useful information from vast amounts of data in a shorter period."

Samsung denied the allegations, arguing that the patents were invalid and that its technology worked differently than Netlist's inventions.

Samsung has also filed a related lawsuit in Delaware federal court accusing Netlist of breaking an obligation to offer fair licenses for technology required to comply with international standards. (Reuters)

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