Samsung being shaken down for money over some of its most lucrative products

Patent trolls are an inconvenience for technology companies. They just hold countless patents and seek to claim damages and other compensation if some company actually makes a product that could potentially, not necessarily, infringe on the patents they own.

Samsung has dealt with many of these trolls in the past, and will no doubt continue to do so in the future. As the market heats up for some of its most lucrative products, a patent troll is once again trying its luck.

California-based Netlist has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging that the sale of some high-bandwidth memory and DRAM chips might infringe on its patents. The complaint has been filed against three separate Samsung entities in addition to Google and Super Micro Computer.

This isn't the first time that Netlist has gone after Samsung for alleged patent infringement. The same company filed a lawsuit against Samsung some years ago alleging infringement on its memory chip patents.

Samsung was fined $303 million by a federal jury in the United States over the infringement, but the company appealed the decision and ultimately the $303 million fine was struck off.

The results of this Section 337 investigation could then potentially be used by Netlist to seek damages or other compensation through a separate civil claim. It may also seek a sales ban on the products that allegedly infringe on its patents, as that's a route commonly taken in such disputes.