U.S. International Trade Commission Ends Investigation on DRAM Devices
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On November 2, 2026, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) announced a major decision concerning certain dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. The announcement came from a notice in the Federal Register, Volume 91, Issue 210. The USITC decided not to review an earlier decision to end an investigation. This investigation involved DRAM devices, their components, and products containing them.
The investigation began on July 20, 2026. Netlist, Inc., a company from Irvine, California, had filed a complaint. They claimed there was a violation of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The section concerns unfair practices in import trade, such as patent infringement. Netlist alleged that several companies were infringing on their patents. The allegations involved U.S. Patent Nos. 12,646,537 and 12,650,937. These patents were related to DRAM devices.
The companies involved were Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Semiconductor, Inc., Google LLC, Super Micro Computer, Inc., NVIDIA Corp., and Broadcom Inc. The investigation aimed to address Netlist’s claims of infringement against these companies.
On August 18, 2026, Netlist and Samsung reached a settlement. They then asked to end the investigation for all companies involved. They also sought to keep parts of their settlement agreement confidential.
On September 28, 2026, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) agreed to end the investigation. The ALJ found that the settlement met the rules of the USITC. It was also determined that the agreement did not negatively impact the public interest. No further reviews of this decision were requested after the judge’s decision.
Finally, the USITC confirmed that they would not review the ALJ’s decision on October 28, 2026. This means the investigation is now officially closed.
Lisa Barton, Secretary to the Commission, made this announcement. The USITC’s authority to decide is based on several sections of the Tariff Act of 1930.
For more details, Michael Klancnik at the Office of the General Counsel can be contacted. The full details and documents can be accessed on the USITC website.
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