This page summarizes the August 2026 California and Delaware complaints, the ITC receipt notice for DN 3930, and the September 25, 2026 Federal Register notice instituting Investigation No. 337-TA-1523. Those records concern different patents from older Netlist-Micron proceedings.
The Central District complaint
On August 10, 2026, Netlist, Inc. sued Micron Technology, Inc. and Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc. in the Central District of California, No. 8:26-cv-02167. Counsel is Irell & Manella (Jason Sheasby, H. Annita Zhong, and others). Venue is pleaded off Micron's office in Irvine, California. The complaint asserts two patents: 10,217,523, Multi-Mode Memory Module with Data Handlers (claim 1: a dual-mode data handler; in test/train mode it isolates DRAM and injects patterns), and 12,675,407, Memory Module with Local Clock Signals (issued July 7, 2026; claim 1: independently programmable per-group local clocks). Accused classes are Micron DDR5 RDIMMs and MRDIMMs/MCRDIMMs, servers containing them, and RCD, MRCD, DRAM, and data-buffer components. Chipset partners named in the complaint include Rambus, Montage, and Renesas. Representative SKUs include MTC40F2046S1RC64BH1, MTC20F1045S1RC80BH1, MTA18ASF2G72PZ-3G2R1, and MTC80F404VM1HC1CXE1. Count III seeks a declaratory judgment that Netlist did not make a bad-faith assertion under Idaho Code 48-1703. The prayer is section 284 damages plus treble damages, an accounting, fees under section 285, a permanent injunction in the alternative to damages, and a jury. No preliminary injunction.
ITC DN 3930, now Investigation No. 337-TA-1523
The August 17, 2026 Federal Register notice reports a complaint filed for Netlist on August 11 under DN 3930, Certain Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Devices, Products Containing the Same, and Components Thereof (III). It names Micron Technology, Micron Semiconductor Products, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo Group, Lenovo (United States), and Super Micro Computer as proposed respondents. Netlist requests a limited exclusion order, cease-and-desist orders, and a bond during presidential review. The notice solicits public-interest comments; it is not an institution notice.
On September 23, 2026, the USITC Investigations record listed DN 3930 as Investigation No. 337-TA-1523 with the status "Pending before the ALJ," named Netlist as complainant and the six proposed respondents above, and listed U.S. Patents 10,025,731, 10,217,523, 12,373,366, and 12,675,407. On September 18 the same record showed "Pre-institution." Under 19 CFR 210.10(b)(1), an investigation is instituted by publication of a notice in the Federal Register. The Commission ordered institution on September 22, 2026. The Secretary issued the notice on September 23, 2026, and it was published on September 25, 2026, at 91 Fed. Reg. 60980. The instituted investigation covers claims 1-13 and 16-18 of U.S. Patent 10,025,731; claims 1-15, 17, and 18 of U.S. Patent 10,217,523; claims 1-14 and 16-28 of U.S. Patent 12,373,366; and claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent 12,675,407. The notice describes the accused products, which set the scope of the investigation, as certain DRAM devices, specifically DDR5 generation DIMMs, products containing them such as servers, computing systems, and storage systems, and components of those products. The notice also directs the presiding administrative law judge to take evidence and provide findings of fact and a recommended determination on the public interest, limited to the statutory public interest factors, under 19 CFR 210.50(b)(1). The notice names the Office of Unfair Import Investigations as a party to be served, and it directs the Chief Administrative Law Judge to designate the presiding judge. It also says the presiding judge may consider what information is needed on domestic industry under section 337(a)(3), including expenditures by third parties and expenditures made outside the United States. Institution is not a finding of infringement or of a domestic industry.
Micron's same-day Delaware DJ
Also on August 10, Micron Technology and Micron Semiconductor Products filed a declaratory-judgment complaint against Netlist in the District of Delaware, No. 1:26-cv-01014, assigned to Judge Jennifer L. Hall. Counsel is Young Conaway and King & Spalding. The DJ seeks noninfringement of 9,128,632, 10,217,523, and 12,675,407. Micron asks the court to bar Netlist from seeking injunctive relief in any jurisdiction. Netlist's 2021 letters (April 28, May 19, May 28, and June 14) are cited as notice on the '523 and '632 patents. The DJ recites Netlist's July 2026 Eastern District of Texas case against Samsung on the '407 patent, No. 2:26-cv-00553, as a related case; that is a DJ recital, not a merits finding here. The '523 and '407 patents overlap the Central District case; the '632 patent appears in the DJ and not in Netlist's Central District assertion.
What the patents are about (high level)
The California complaint describes the '523 patent as a multi-mode memory module with a data handler and the '407 patent as a memory module with local clock signals. Its claim 1 allegations concern a test/train mode for the '523 patent and independently programmable per-group local clocks for the '407 patent. The September 25 institution notice lists the claims under investigation. It does not supply the text of those claims.
The Samsung license in the background
On August 5, 2026, Netlist filed an 8-K reporting that on August 4 it entered a patent cross-license with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., effective July 31, 2026. Samsung pays an upfront license fee of $239 million (about $200 million net of Korean withholding) plus quarterly license fees of up to $32.9 million (up to about $27.5 million net per quarter) for twenty calendar quarters through the second quarter of 2031, subject to a revenue-based formula, adjustments, and refund rights. The term is five years. The same 8-K reports a settlement and release of identified pending proceedings between Netlist and Samsung, a five-year supply agreement (up to $300 million of DRAM and NAND products per year, $1.5 billion aggregate), an ITC cooperation agreement under which Samsung agreed to produce certain information for Netlist to use in future ITC actions against third parties, and a securities purchase of 10 million Netlist shares by a Samsung affiliate for $1 million. That package is public SEC disclosure. It is not a finding against Micron. It does change the settlement landscape: a major supplier is now a Netlist licensee with a cooperation covenant aimed at later ITC cases.
Scope of this update
The institution notice was published September 25, 2026. The district-court sections describe the identified August complaints; they do not report a later answer, transfer, stay, or merits ruling.
Where to follow the proceedings
The linked Federal Register notice institutes Investigation No. 337-TA-1523. Responses are due 20 days after service of the complaint and the notice unless good cause is shown for more time. The parallel district matters are No. 8:26-cv-02167 in the Central District of California and No. 1:26-cv-01014 in the District of Delaware.