Contingencies

9 Months Ended

May 29, 2025

Loss Contingency [Abstract]

Contingencies

Contingencies

We are currently a party to legal actions other than those described below arising from the normal course of business, none of which are expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Patent Matters

As is typical in the semiconductor and other high-tech industries, from time to time, others have asserted, and may in the future assert, that our products or manufacturing processes infringe upon their intellectual property rights. A description of certain claims is below.

On April 28, 2021, Netlist, Inc. (“Netlist”) filed two patent infringement actions against Micron, Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc. (“MSP”), and Micron Technology Texas, LLC (“MTEC”) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The first complaint alleges that one U.S. patent is infringed by certain of our non-volatile dual in-line memory modules. The second complaint alleges that three U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our load-reduced dual in-line memory modules (“LRDIMMs”). Each complaint seeks injunctive relief, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. On March 31, 2022, Netlist filed a patent infringement complaint against Micron and Micron Semiconductor Germany, GmbH in Düsseldorf Regional Court alleging that two German patents are infringed by certain of our LRDIMMs. The complaint seeks damages, costs, and injunctive relief. In rulings issued on March 7, 2024 and November 7, 2024, the Federal Patent Court in Germany declared both patents invalid. Netlist has appealed those rulings.

On June 10, 2022, Netlist filed a patent infringement complaint against Micron, MSP, and MTEC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (“E.D. Tex.”) alleging that six U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our memory modules and HBM products. On August 1, 2022, Netlist filed a second patent infringement complaint against the same defendants in E.D. Tex. alleging that one U.S. patent is infringed by certain of our LRDIMMs. On August 15, 2022, Netlist amended the second complaint to assert that two additional U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our LRDIMMs. The complaints in E.D. Tex. seek injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees. On May 23, 2024, following a four-day trial regarding the second complaint filed by Netlist in the E.D. Tex., a jury rendered a verdict that Micron’s memory modules infringe two asserted patents – U.S. Patent No. 7,619,912 (“the ‘912 patent”) and U.S. Patent No. 11,093,417 (“the ‘417 patent”) – and found that Micron should pay $425 million for infringement of the ‘912 patent and $20 million for infringement of the ‘417 patent. Micron expects to appeal the verdict. On April 17, 2024, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued a final written decision (“FWD”) finding unpatentable the sole asserted claim of the ‘912 patent. On September 10, 2024, Netlist filed a notice that it will appeal the ruling that the ‘912 patent is unpatentable to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”). On July 30, 2024, the USPTO issued a FWD finding unpatentable all asserted claims of the ‘417 patent. On December 10, 2024, Netlist filed a notice that it will appeal the ruling that the ‘417 patent is unpatentable to the Federal Circuit. In the case of each of the ‘912 and ‘417 patents, if the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirms the FWD, then the affirmed FWD will preclude any pending actions asserting infringement of such patent (including any infringement verdict that is subject to an ongoing appeal). On May 19, 2025, Netlist filed a complaint against Micron, MSP, and MTEC in E.D. Tex. alleging that one U.S. patent is infringed by our HBM products. The complaint seeks damages, attorneys’ fees, and other equitable relief.

On January 23, 2023, Besang Inc. filed a patent infringement complaint against Micron in E.D. Tex. The complaint alleges that one U.S. patent is infringed by certain of our 3D NAND and SSD products. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

On November 9, 2023, Yangtze Memory Technologies Company, Ltd. (“YMTC”) filed a patent infringement complaint against Micron and one of its subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (“N.D. Cal.”). The complaint alleges that eight U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our 3D NAND products. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. On January 22, 2024, Micron Semiconductor (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“MSS”) was served with three patent infringement complaints filed by YMTC in Beijing Intellectual Property Court and on February 27, 2024, Micron was served with the same complaints. The complaints assert that Micron and MSS infringed three Chinese patents owned by YMTC by importing, selling, offering for sale, and assisting others to sell certain 3D NAND products and SSDs in China. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. On July 12, 2024, YMTC filed a second complaint against Micron and its subsidiary in N.D. Cal. The second complaint alleges that eleven U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our 3D NAND and DDR5 DRAM products. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. On September 11, 2024, MSS was served with five patent infringement complaints filed by YMTC in Shanghai Intellectual Property Court. The complaints assert that Micron and MSS infringed five Chinese patents owned by YMTC by importing, selling, offering for sale, and assisting others to sell certain 3D NAND products and SSDs in China. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

On October 16, 2024, Palisade Technologies, LLP filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Micron and MSP in the U.S. District Court for the W.D. Tex. The complaint alleges that five U.S. patents are infringed by certain of our DRAM, NAND, 3D NAND, and SSD products. The complaint seeks an injunction, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

The above lawsuits pertain to substantially all of our DRAM, NAND, and other memory and storage products we manufacture, which account for substantially all of our revenue.

Securities Class Action Matters

On January 9, 2025, a putative class action complaint was filed against Micron and certain individual officers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. On April 3, 2025, the case was transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Idaho (“D. Idaho”), and on May 23, 2025, an amended complaint was filed in D. Idaho. The amended complaint alleges defendants made materially false or misleading statements during a putative class period from March 29, 2023 to December 18, 2024, regarding industry supply and demand dynamics and the demand for Micron's products, including NAND and DRAM products. The amended complaint seeks unspecified compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees and costs.

Shareholder Derivative Matters

On February 20, 2025, a shareholder derivative complaint was filed by a purported shareholder against certain individual directors and officers of Micron, allegedly on behalf of and for the benefit of Micron, in D. Idaho. On February 21, 2025, a similar related derivative complaint was filed by another purported shareholder in the same court against certain individual directors and officers of Micron. The complaints allege violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, insider trading, abuse of control, and waste of corporate assets. The complaints are based on substantially the same allegedly false or misleading statements asserted in the securities putative class action matter. The complaints seek various unspecified damages allegedly suffered by Micron, restitution, attorneys’ fees and costs and other relief, including reforms and improvements to our corporate governance and internal procedures. On April 28, 2025, the complaints were consolidated and on May 14, 2025, the consolidated complaints were stayed until the issuance of a final decision on all motions to dismiss the securities putative class action matter or a final resolution of the putative class action matter.

Antitrust Matters

On May 15, 2018, the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (“SAMR”) notified Micron that it was investigating potential collusion and other anticompetitive conduct by DRAM suppliers in China. On May 31, 2018, SAMR made unannounced visits to our sales offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen to seek certain information as part of its investigation. We are cooperating with SAMR in its investigation.

Other Matters

On June 7, 2025, YMTC filed a complaint against Micron and DCI Group AZ, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleges that the defendants engaged in false advertising, product disparagement, and unfair competition regarding YMTC’s 3D NAND flash products in violation of the Lanham Act. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, damages, disgorgement of profits, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

In the normal course of business, we are a party to a variety of agreements pursuant to which we may be obligated to indemnify another party. It is not possible to predict the maximum potential amount of future payments under these types of agreements due to the conditional nature of our obligations and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement. Historically, our payments under these types of agreements have not had a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Contingency Assessment

We are unable to predict the outcome of any of the matters noted above and cannot make a reasonable estimate of the potential loss or range of possible losses. A determination that our products or manufacturing processes infringe the intellectual property rights of others or entering into a license agreement covering such intellectual property could result in significant liability and/or require us to make material changes to our products and/or manufacturing processes. Any of the foregoing, as well as the resolution of any other legal matter noted above, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.