Signal Micron Sues Sanctioned Chinese Memory Maker YMTC Over Alleged Engineer Poaching and Technology Theft

Summary

Micron filed a new lawsuit in October 2026 against the U.S.-sanctioned Chinese 3D NAND maker YMTC, alleging that YMTC poached Micron engineers to obtain proprietary NAND manufacturing know-how and then used that knowledge to build its own patent portfolio. The complaint claims the departing employees cited personal or family reasons for leaving and did not update their LinkedIn profiles to reflect their new roles at YMTC, concealing the move. YMTC has separately used patents filed in those former employees' names to sue Micron for infringement in multiple jurisdictions, including winning preliminary injunctions in Munich, Germany covering two 3D NAND utility models. The new suit extends a multi-year, multi-jurisdiction legal battle between the two companies that traces back to YMTC's original infringement suit against Micron filed in U.S. federal court in November 2023. The dispute illustrates how U.S.-China semiconductor competition is increasingly being fought through litigation over talent mobility and trade secrets rather than only tariffs or export controls.