Liberty Times Net, September 23, 2026
Chinese Memory Chip Maker Scores Patent Victory in Germany? YMTC Wins Case Against Micron, Sales Ban Imposed on Some Micron Products
China-based memory chip giant Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) and U.S. semiconductor company Micron Technology have reached a significant development in their global patent battle over 3D NAND technology. According to foreign media reports, the Munich court in Germany has ruled that Micron infringed two German utility models held by YMTC and issued injunctions requiring Micron to cease selling the products at issue in Germany.
According to reports, this marks YMTC’s first victory involving an injunction with substantive market impact since it launched its global 3D NAND patent battle against Micron in November 2023. Three other German cases remain pending without decisions on the merits. Micron has appealed the rulings and stated that it will challenge the validity of the rights at issue. Whether the injunctions will be enforced depends on whether the Higher Regional Court rules to suspend their enforcement.
According to patent litigation media outlet IP Fray, the Seventh Civil Chamber of the Munich I Regional Court issued favorable rulings on September 18 concerning two German rights asserted by YMTC. The rights relate respectively to a “staircase structure of a three-dimensional memory device” and a “barrier layer for word-line contacts in 3D NAND” technology. Based on these rulings, the court issued two injunctions against Micron. Three other lawsuits filed in Munich have yet to receive decisions on the merits.
However, this does not mean that all of Micron’s memory products have been banned from sale throughout Germany. The injunctions concern specific 3D NAND products that were found to involve the rights at issue, and the cases remain subject to further judicial proceedings. IP Fray noted that, unless the Munich Higher Regional Court suspends enforcement during the appeal proceedings, the injunctions could soon enter the enforcement stage. Micron has stated that it disagrees with the rulings, will appeal, and will continue to challenge the validity of the rights at issue.
The dispute is not limited to Germany. Documents filed by Micron with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that YMTC has filed multiple patent infringement lawsuits against Micron and its subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Unified Patent Court, including five cases in Munich involving specific 3D NAND products.
The patent battle between the two companies dates back to November 2023, when YMTC filed a lawsuit against Micron in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that certain 3D NAND products manufactured by Micron infringed eight U.S. patents. YMTC subsequently expanded the scope of the litigation. Micron, in turn, has challenged the validity of YMTC’s patents through proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and other mechanisms, gradually turning the dispute from a dispute in a single market into a multinational patent confrontation.
The significance of the German ruling lies in the fact that YMTC has obtained an injunction that could directly restrict its competitor’s ability to sell products, rather than merely seeking monetary damages. If the injunctions are ultimately upheld, they could strengthen YMTC’s position in subsequent global negotiations and litigation over 3D NAND patents. However, with Micron’s appeal and the validity of the rights at issue still being contested, the patent battle remains far from over.