Key Highlights :
Computer-memory company Netlist has secured a major victory in its patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics. On Friday, a federal jury in Marshall, Texas awarded Netlist more than $303 million in damages for Samsung's infringement of several patents related to improvements in data processing.
Netlist first filed the lawsuit in 2021, alleging Samsung memory products used in cloud-computing servers and other data-intensive technology infringed its patents. According to Netlist, its innovations increase the power efficiency of memory modules and allow users to "derive useful information from vast amounts of data in a shorter period of time."
At trial, Netlist's attorney argued that Samsung had taken its patented module technology after the companies had collaborated on another project. Netlist had asked the jury for $404 million in damages. Samsung had argued that the patents were invalid and that its technology worked in a different way than Netlist's inventions.
The jury ultimately sided with Netlist, awarding the company more than $303 million for Samsung's infringement of its patents. Representatives for the companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Netlist stock was up 21 percent following the verdict on Friday afternoon.
The case was Netlist v. Samsung Electronics, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:21-cv-00463. This major victory for Netlist underscores the importance of protecting intellectual property, and serves as a reminder to companies of the consequences of infringing on another company's patents.