⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Federal Circuit hears Micron's challenge to BeSang's memory-device patent. BeSang sued Micron in Texas in 2023, alleging that its products infringed the patent. The patent describes vertically arranged memory cells added above a separately fabricated substrate containing circuitry. Micron challenged claims thirteen through seventeen at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, relying on earlier patents to argue that the claimed structures were obvious. The Board found that Micron had not proved those claims unpatentable, and Micron appealed. This appeal concerns patent validity, not whether Micron's products infringe. Claim thirteen specifies nonvolatile memory cells but does not state a manufacturing temperature. Obviousness asks whether the claimed invention would have been evident to an ordinarily skilled practitioner from earlier knowledge. An enabled teaching is one a skilled practitioner can put into practice without undue experimentation. A reference can still contribute to an obviousness analysis even if it does not enable everything it describes. Mr. Zhou will argue for Micron that the challenged claims were obvious.

Micron Technology, Inc. v. BeSang Inc. (No. 25-1320) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.