SK Hynix Faces Dual U.S. Patent Lawsuits Over HBM and 3D NAND
Alina Collins
Patent holder MonolithIC 3D is pressing SK Hynix on two legal fronts — two ITC investigations plus a federal court lawsuit, covering 22 patents in total across both HBM and 3D NAND product lines, directly threatening the company's U.S. import channel.
What does "dual-track assault" mean?
MonolithIC 3D is using two legal tracks at once: U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) investigations and a federal district court lawsuit.
This means → the two tracks carry different weapons: the court can award monetary damages; the ITC can issue exclusion orders (blocking infringing products from entering the U.S.) and cease-and-desist orders.
In plain terms = one track goes after money, the other blocks shipments. The patent holder is squeezing from both sides.
What do the two ITC investigations cover?
First investigation (337-TA-1492): opened March 30, 2026, covering 8 patents targeting NAND and DRAM memory chips. The initial determination is due by April 28, 2027; the target completion date is August 30, 2027.
Second investigation (337-TA-1506): opened June 10, 2026, covering 5 additional patents. Accused products include 3D NAND chips, HBM DRAM chips, and storage products containing them. As of SK Hynix's July disclosure, the ITC had not yet set a target completion date.
SK Hynix is not the only respondent — Kioxia and several of its subsidiaries are also named in the second investigation.
Where does the federal court case stand?
MonolithIC filed suit against SK Hynix in the Eastern District of Texas on May 11 — the same day it filed the second ITC complaint.
SK Hynix moved to stay the case on July 2. Judge Roy S. Payne granted the stay on July 8, pausing federal proceedings pending the ITC investigations.
This means → the court case has not gone away — it is queued. Once the ITC reaches a result, the court track can restart at any time.
How did the patent count reach 22?
According to Korea's ZDNet, MonolithIC filed two lawsuits against SK Hynix in the same court back in November 2025, covering 14 patents.
Five of those were later folded into the first ITC complaint, which added 3 new patents to reach 8. The second ITC investigation added 5 more.
In plain terms = across both the federal court and ITC tracks, MonolithIC has now asserted 22 patents against SK Hynix, spanning both the NAND and DRAM product lines.
What does this mean for the market?
SK Hynix disclosed both ITC proceedings in its July U.S. securities prospectus, signaling that the company treats this as a material risk requiring investor disclosure.
The first investigation's final determination window falls in April–August 2027 — that will be the critical juncture for assessing the risk to SK Hynix's U.S.-bound HBM and NAND shipments.
This means → if the ITC ultimately issues an exclusion order, SK Hynix's HBM and 3D NAND products could be barred from the U.S. market, directly impacting its position in the AI compute supply chain.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.