(Reuters) – Chinese language chipmaker Yangtze Reminiscence Applied sciences Co (YMTC) has filed a lawsuit towards U.S. rival Micron Expertise alleging infringement of eight of its patents.
YMTC filed the lawsuit towards Micron and unit Micron Shopper Merchandise Group on Nov. 9 on the U.S. District Court docket for the Northern District of California.
Based on the lawsuit, Micron turned to YMTC’s patented expertise to fend off competitors from YMTC and to achieve and defend market share. It mentioned Micron was not paying its justifiable share to make use of the patented innovations.
YMTC didn’t reply to a request for remark. Micron didn’t reply exterior common U.S. enterprise hours.
Micron makes DRAM chips and NAND flash reminiscence chips and competes with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in addition to Japan’s Kioxia, a unit of Toshiba. YMTC is a a lot smaller rival which was final 12 months barred by the U.S. from shopping for sure American parts.
The U.S. lately has elevated restrictions on exporting chipmaking expertise to China on safety grounds.
In Could, China mentioned Micron merchandise failed a community safety overview and barred buy of them by operators of key infrastructure.
Micron was embroiled in a dispute in 2018 involving Chinese language state-backed chipmaker Fujian Jinhua which was accused of – and which denied – commerce secret theft. Later that 12 months, its most important merchandise have been topic to a brief gross sales ban in China.
China was as soon as Micron’s greatest market, producing half of its $20 billion income in fiscal 2017. That share shrank to 16% in 2022, a 12 months wherein it closed DRAM operations in Shanghai.
Micron has mentioned it stays dedicated to China. In June, it mentioned it could make investments 4.3 billion yuan ($590 million) in coming years in its chip-packaging plant in Xian metropolis, and it exhibited for the primary time at a commerce expo in Shanghai this month.
($1 = 7.2934 Chinese language yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama and Brenda Goh; Enhancing by Christopher Cushing)
