There is only one publicly disclosed settlement in Netlist’s long-running patent campaign: a 2021 cross-licensing agreement with SK Hynix worth roughly $40 million over five years, which expired in April 2026. The latest Netlist settlement news for the company’s higher-profile fights against Samsung, Micron, and Google is that there is none. Netlist has won jury verdicts totaling more than $860 million against Samsung and Micron, but every major award is on appeal, none has been collected, and the Google case has sat stayed in federal court since shortly after it was filed in 2009.
SK Hynix: The Only Settlement on the Books
Netlist filed a patent infringement complaint against SK Hynix at the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2016. In 2019, an ITC administrative law judge found that SK Hynix memory products infringed Netlist’s patents.1Mintz. SK Hynix Memory Products Infringe Netlist IP, ITC Judge Finds2The Elec. SK Hynix, Netlist Cross-Licensing Agreement3Motley Fool. Netlist Stock: The Next 10-Bagger? That agreement expired in April 2026.
Samsung: No Settlement, Two Verdicts, Appeals Pending
Netlist has not settled with Samsung. Instead, the fight has produced two separate jury verdicts in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas before Judge Rodney Gilstrap.
In April 2023, a jury awarded Netlist $303.15 million after finding Samsung infringed five Netlist memory-module patents.4IPWatchdog. Netlist Continues Enforcement Campaign Against Samsung DRAM Modules at ITC Samsung appealed, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board later invalidated the last two patents tied to that verdict, finding all claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,318,160 and 8,787,060 unpatentable over prior art.5Bloomberg Law. Samsung Beats Final Netlist Patents From $303 Million Verdict The Federal Circuit heard oral arguments in the appeal of the $303 million verdict on March 6, 2026, and had not issued a decision as of mid-2026.6Law360. Samsung’s $303M Loss Looms Over PTAB Trial Appeals
A second trial followed. On November 22, 2024, a jury unanimously found that Samsung willfully infringed three Netlist patents (the ‘912, ‘417, and ‘608 patents) covering rank-multiplication and buffer-circuit technology used in Samsung’s DDR4 RDIMM and LRDIMM products, and awarded Netlist $118 million.7Yahoo Finance. Netlist Wins $118 Million Second Samsung Verdict8McKool Smith. $118 Million Verdict Against Samsung Netlist strengthened its position on those patents through appellate wins in 2025, with the Federal Circuit affirming PTAB decisions upholding U.S. Patent No. 10,217,523 in March 2025 and U.S. Patent No. 10,268,608 in December 2025.9EQS News. The Federal Circuit Affirms PTAB Ruling Upholding Validity of Netlist ‘608 Patent
A parallel breach-of-contract case in the Central District of California turned on a 2015 joint development and license agreement between the companies. On retrial in March 2025, a jury found that Samsung materially breached the JDLA and that Netlist had properly terminated it. The verdict carried no money judgment but confirmed that Samsung has no valid license to Netlist’s technologies.10Law360. Netlist Again Wins Samsung Patent, Contract Suit on Retrial Final judgment was entered April 7, 2025; Samsung’s motion for a new trial was denied in August 2025, and Samsung has appealed to the Ninth Circuit (No. 25-5531).11SEC. Netlist, Inc. SEC Filing
Micron: No Settlement, $445 Million Verdict on Appeal
Netlist has not settled with Micron either. On May 23, 2024, a jury in the Eastern District of Texas found that Micron willfully infringed the ‘912 and ‘417 patents and awarded Netlist $445 million as a reasonable royalty covering Micron’s use of the patented technology from 2021 through 2024.12Yahoo Finance. Netlist Secures Order Finalizing $445 Million Damages Award The court entered final judgment on July 11, 2024, and in June 2025 Judge Gilstrap denied Micron’s post-trial motions, upholding both the willfulness finding and the full award. Micron filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Circuit on July 9, 2025, and that appeal is pending.11SEC. Netlist, Inc. SEC Filing
Micron also challenged the patents at the PTAB, which invalidated at least one patent involved in the litigation, setting up what one legal publication described as a “race” between the district court appeal and the appeal of the PTAB invalidation decision.13Sterne Kessler. Netlist Scores $445M Verdict Against Micron Netlist won a piece of that parallel track on February 20, 2026, when the Federal Circuit affirmed two PTAB decisions upholding the validity of U.S. Patent No. 10,489,314 against Micron’s obviousness challenges.14U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Micron Technology, Inc. v. Netlist, Inc., Nos. 2024-1312, 2024-1313
Google: No Settlement, Case Stayed Since 2009
Despite frequent search interest in a Netlist-Google settlement, none has been announced or disclosed. Netlist sued Google in December 2009 in the Northern District of California, alleging infringement of the ‘912 patent covering rank-multiplication technology for memory modules.15Yahoo Finance. Netlist Prevails Against Google at U.S. Patent Office
The case has been tied up in patent-validity challenges for more than a decade. Google petitioned for reexamination of the ‘912 patent in 2010; the PTAB upheld the patent, and the Federal Circuit affirmed that ruling in June 2020.15Yahoo Finance. Netlist Prevails Against Google at U.S. Patent Office The stay in the district court was never fully lifted. In October 2022, the parties agreed to keep the case stayed pending resolution of Netlist’s Samsung patent infringement suits in the Eastern District of Texas, including any appeals. With those Samsung cases still on appeal in mid-2026, the Google case remains idle. Related patent infringement claims Netlist filed against Google entities in Germany were similarly stayed by the Düsseldorf court pending patent-nullity decisions.11SEC. Netlist, Inc. SEC Filing
Netlist Is Escalating, Not Settling
Rather than moving toward settlement, Netlist has opened new fronts in 2025 and 2026.
In September 2025, Netlist filed a Section 337 complaint at the ITC targeting Samsung, Google, and Super Micro Computer, alleging that they import and sell DRAM devices infringing six Netlist patents on power management, buffer circuitry, and stacked-die architecture used in DDR5 DIMMs and high-bandwidth memory.16Federal Register. Certain Dynamic Random Access Memory Devices, Products Containing the Same, and Components The ITC instituted the investigation, numbered 337-TA-1472, on December 29, 2025.17U.S. International Trade Commission. USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation Netlist is seeking a limited exclusion order and cease-and-desist orders that would block sales of the accused products in the United States. Google was named because its Tensor Processing Units and Google Cloud Platform services incorporate Samsung memory modules that Netlist says infringe its patents.4IPWatchdog. Netlist Continues Enforcement Campaign Against Samsung DRAM Modules at ITC
On July 28, 2025, Netlist filed another patent infringement case in the Eastern District of Texas against Samsung and Micron entities (No. 2:25-cv-00748), again before Judge Gilstrap. Amended complaints followed in January 2026, Micron moved to dismiss, and the court has set a claim-construction hearing for February 2027 and a jury trial for August 2027.18CourtListener. Netlist, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Netlist has also gone outside the courtroom. On March 13, 2026, the company urged the U.S. Trade Representative to take strong action in a Section 301 investigation of South Korea’s trade practices, alleging “systematic misappropriation of U.S. intellectual property” in the semiconductor sector and arguing that Samsung continues to ship infringing products into the United States without a license.19Yahoo Finance. Netlist Urges Strong USTR Action The USTR had not publicly responded as of mid-2026.
Why None of the Verdicts Have Been Collected
The Samsung and Micron jury verdicts add up to more than $860 million, but Netlist has not reported collecting any of that money. Every major award faces an active appeal, a related PTAB challenge, or both, any of which could delay, reduce, or eliminate the damages.
Netlist has said as much in its own filings. In its Q1 2026 earnings report, the company stated that it “may not be able to collect the substantial amount in damages previously awarded to it in its litigations” and warned that appeals “could cause a lengthy delay in Netlist’s ability to collect damages awards, could overturn the verdicts or reduce the damages awards.” Netlist spent nearly $9 million on intellectual-property legal fees in the first quarter of 2026 alone, up from $7 million in the same period a year earlier.20Stock Titan. Netlist Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
For anyone following Netlist settlement news, the practical picture in mid-2026 is straightforward. One settlement exists (SK Hynix, now expired). The rest of the docket is verdicts, stays, appeals, and new filings.