ITC Investigation Instituted: NAND and DRAM Memory Chips Patent Infringement (Section 337)

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted an investigation under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 following a complaint filed by MonolithIC 3D Inc. of Allen, Texas on February 17, 2026, with supplements filed on February 25 and March 16, 2026. The complaint alleges that certain NAND and DRAM memory chips are being imported into and sold within the United States in violation of eight U.S. patents held by MonolithIC 3D. The eight patents at issue cover semiconductor memory chip technology and include U.S. Patent Nos. 12,035,531; 12,125,737; 12,243,765; 11,342,214; 11,476,181; 11,594,473; 11,862,503; and 12,225,737. MonolithIC 3D claims that importation, sale for importation, and domestic sale of these chips infringe specific claims across all eight patents. The complainant also asserts that a domestic industry in the United States exists or is in the process of being established, satisfying the statutory requirement under Section 337. If the ITC finds a violation, it has the authority to issue a limited exclusion order barring the infringing products from entering the U.S. market, as well as cease and desist orders against specific respondents. This investigation could have significant implications for global memory chip suppliers — particularly major NAND and DRAM manufacturers in South Korea, Japan, and China — who export products to the United States, potentially disrupting supply chains for consumer electronics, data centers, and enterprise hardware.

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