Hynix expects that the decision will allow it "to gain a positive turnaround in the second half of this year" as it once again will "freely sell" its DRAM and "actively apply its marketing strategy" in the US.

Hynix Semiconductor has claimed another victory, announcing today that the countervailing duty levied on the company’s DRAM in the United States is expected to be lifted next month.

According to the South Korea-based memory maker, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has released an official letter notifying the US International Trade Commission (ITC) that no domestic interested party has requested the maintenance of the countervailing duty measure on Hynix DRAM and that it intend to issue a final determination revoking the order no later than 90 days after the July 1.

While it is expected that the final ruling on the revocation of countervailing duty will be published in the US Federal Register next month, the actual effect of the revocation would come into force retroactively from August 11 when the five years passed since the US’ first imposition of the countervailing duty in 2003.

The 44.7% duties were upheld by the ITC in July of that year after the European Union announced it would impose 33% duties on Hynix DRAM. The EU revoked its duties in April.

Japan also began imposing its own duties on Hynix DRAM of 27.2% in 2006. After weighing in on the duties imposed by the US and EU, the World Trade Organization (WTO) last November sided with Hynix and stated that Japan’s duty violated international trade rules.

The trio’s duties were imposed after finding that Hynix had received unfair state subsidies that allowed the South Korean DRAM maker to sell its chips at lower prices. Hynix continues to maintain that its subsidies from the South Korean government, through having creditor financial institutions like the Korea Development Bank convert debts into equities, were fair.

Hynix expects that the decision by the US, along with EU decision, to revoke the duties will have a considerable effect on Japan, which is currently facing a September 1 deadline as to if it will remove its duty on the DRAM.

Hynix said in a statement that it “strongly hopes that Japan decides to take the WTO’s recommendation and revokes the [countervailing duty] measure on Hynix when the publishing of Japan’s final decision releases on September 1, 2008.”

Hynix further said that “the DOC ruling today will provide the ground for Hynix to gain a positive turnaround in the second half of this year because, once again, Hynix can freely sell its Korea-originated DRAM and actively apply its marketing strategy in the US, the top DRAM market in the world.”

ISuppli recently noted that Hynix is expected to focus on DRAM, opposed to NAND flash, for the remainder of 2008. The research company earlier this week lowered its estimate for 2008 NAND revenue growth from 9% to flat. That report came after iSuppli stated in early August that short-term Q3 DRAM price weakness is expected on bloated inventories.