Federal Circuit Affirms PTAB Ruling Upholding Netlist '314 Patent

Third time in 12 months CAFC has affirmed validity of Netlist patents against Micron and Samsung

Feb. 23, 2026 at 4:51pm

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Netlist, Inc. announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has affirmed the October 2023 final written decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) upholding the validity of Netlist's U.S. Patent No. 10,489,314 in an Inter Partes Review (IPR) brought by Micron. This is the third time within the past 12 months that the CAFC has affirmed the validity of Netlist patents asserted against Micron and/or Samsung.

Why it matters

The affirmances of the validity of Netlist's patented technologies attest to Netlist's role as an innovation leader in the semiconductor memory industry. The '314 and '608 Patents are asserted in Netlist's case against Micron in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, which is currently stayed.

The details

Netlist's U.S. Patent No. 10,489,314 was challenged by Micron in an IPR, but the PTAB upheld its validity in October 2023. Micron now has 90 days to file a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2025, the CAFC also affirmed the validity of Netlist's U.S. Patent Nos. 10,268,608 and 10,217,523, which had been unsuccessfully challenged by both Micron and Samsung before the PTAB.

  • The CAFC affirmed the PTAB's October 2023 final written decision upholding the validity of Netlist's '314 Patent.
  • In 2025, the CAFC affirmed the validity of Netlist's '608 and '523 Patents, which had been challenged by Micron and Samsung.

The players

Netlist, Inc.

A leading innovator in advanced memory and storage solutions with a rich portfolio of patented technologies.

Micron

A semiconductor company that challenged the validity of Netlist's '314 Patent in an IPR.

Samsung

A semiconductor company that unsuccessfully challenged the validity of Netlist's '608 and '523 Patents before the PTAB.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC)

The appeals court that affirmed the PTAB's decisions upholding the validity of Netlist's patents.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)

The administrative court that upheld the validity of Netlist's '314 Patent in an IPR brought by Micron.

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What they’re saying

“We are pleased that the CAFC affirmed the validity of the '314 Patent. This is the third time within the past 12 months that the CAFC has affirmed the validity of Netlist patents asserted against Micron and/or Samsung. These affirmances of the validity of Netlist's patented technologies attest to Netlist's role as an innovation leader in the semiconductor memory industry.”

— C.K. Hong, Netlist's Chief Executive Officer

What’s next

Micron has 90 days from the CAFC's judgment to file a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The takeaway

Netlist's success in defending the validity of its patents against challenges from industry giants like Micron and Samsung underscores its position as an innovation leader in the semiconductor memory space and the strength of its intellectual property portfolio.