Micron confirms that China will ban its DRAM and NAND-related memory items.
Micron has confirmed that China has banned the sale of 26 of Micron’s products in China. The Idaho-based memory chip maker says that it received a preliminary injunction from Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against two of its subsidiaries. The injunction stops Micron from selling its 26 DRAM and NAND-related items, including some solid-state hard drives and memory sticks, in China.
News of the ban originally came from Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), which announced the injunction in a press release on July 3. UMC is in a patent dispute with Micron. In 2017, Micron filed suit against UMC for patent infringement, accusing UMC of stealing Micron’s technology and giving it another company, Jinhua. In response, UMC filed suit in January against the U.S. memory company in the Fuzhou court.
Micron said UMC’s January “patent infringement claims of UMC and Jinhua were filed against Micron in retaliation for criminal indictments filed by Taiwan authorities against UMC and three of its employees and a civil lawsuit filed by Micron against UMC and Jinhua in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for the misappropriation of Micron trade secrets.”
“Micron is disappointed with the ruling by the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court. We strongly believe that the patents are invalid and that Micron’s products do not infringe the patents. The Fuzhou Court issued this preliminary ruling before allowing Micron an opportunity to present its defense,” said Joel Poppen, senior vice president, legal affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary at Micron Technology. “This ruling and other actions by the Fuzhou Court are inconsistent with providing a fair hearing through appropriate legal processes and procedures. Micron has a long-standing history of successful business operations in China, including a significant assembly and test manufacturing facility in Xi’an, as well as deep relationships with many valued China customers. Micron will continue to aggressively defend against these unfounded patent infringement claims while continuing to work closely with its customers and partners.”
“The central government of China has often stated that the rights of foreign companies are fairly and equally protected in China. Micron believes the ruling issued by the Fuzhou Court in Fujian Province is inconsistent with this proclaimed policy,” said Micron’s press statement.
Idaho-based Micron makes memory chips used in many applications. Its latest high-performance memory GDDR6 chip now being produced is targeted at networks, automotive and graphics applications.
Micron ranks fourth in revenue among the world’s semiconductor companies.
UMC is the third largest semiconductor foundry by revenue. The company is applying with the China Securities Regulatory Commission to list UMC’s mainland operations on the Shanghai Stock Exchange as an A-list offering, according to a June 29 press statement. HeJian Technology (Suzhou) Co. will represent UMC’s China businesses, which UMC says includes HeJian’s 8″ fab, United Semi and its 12″ fab in Xiamen and Shandong-based UDS.
