A federal jury in Waco, Texas handed down a verdict Thursday requiring Japanese chipmaker Kioxia to pay $229 million to satellite-communications company Viasat, finding that Kioxia violated Viasat’s patent rights related to computer memory technology. The decision was outlined in a court document.
According to the jury’s findings, Kioxia’s flash-memory devices infringe on a Viasat patent covering technology that helps such devices use less power while also boosting their reliability and lifespan.
Representatives for both companies had not yet responded to requests for comment following the verdict.
Viasat, which is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, stated that it developed enhancements to flash-memory technology — a type of storage that saves data on transistors using electrical charges — while working on error-correction systems for its satellite operations.
The company alleged that Kioxia’s flash-memory products incorporate error-correction technology that functions in essentially the same way as Viasat’s patented method.
Kioxia pushed back against those claims, denying any wrongdoing and contending that the patent in question should be considered invalid.
This is not the only legal battle Viasat is fighting on this front. The company has filed a similar lawsuit against data-storage firm Western Digital, and that case remains ongoing.
