U.S. trade commission terminates Samsung chip patent probe following settlement with Netlist

On November 2, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) officially ended a patent infringement investigation that involved Samsung Electronics Co. and several prominent American technology firms, as reported by a federal notice published that day in the U.S. Federal Register. The probe focused on dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, products featuring them, and associated components.

The case was initiated in July after Netlist Inc. filed a complaint, claiming that certain memory products infringed upon its patents. Respondents in the case also included Google, Nvidia Corp., Broadcom Inc. and Super Micro Computer Inc.

According to the notice, Netlist and Samsung, including its two U.S. subsidiaries, mutually agreed to terminate the investigation on August 18, based on a settlement agreement between the companies. The settlement entailed Samsung granting Netlist access to its patent portfolio, encompassing technologies pertaining to server dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) utilized in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing systems.

Netlist specializes in advanced memory and storage technologies, such as server memory and HBM solutions for AI computing.

In 2021, Netlist initiated legal proceedings against Samsung, alleging that the South Korean tech behemoth's memory products employed in cloud computing servers, along with other data technologies, infringed upon Netlist's patents. Samsung contended that Netlist's patents were invalid and that its technologies functioned differently from those encompassed by the patents.