Charles Kim
Key details
- Job title: Executive Vice President & Head of Licensing Team
- Organisation:Samsung Electronics
- Geography: Malaysia
- Level:Senior-level
Profile
In December 2025, Chang Sik (Charles) Kim was appointed as executive vice president and head of the licensing team at Samsung Electronics based in Seoul. Samsung Electronics is a multinational corporation specialising in consumer electronics, semiconductors and home appliances.Kim previously led the IP team at Samsung Display where he was also executive vice president. Appointed in 2021, he led the company’s global intellectual property strategy—overseeing patent development, litigation and enforcement across its OLED and QD-OLED display technologies for the company’s smartphones and other products and applications.Before joining Samsung Display, Kim built a career in private practice focusing on patent litigation involving semiconductors, electronics, chemistry and display technologies. In the US he is admitted to practise in New York and New Jersey, the Federal Circuit and before the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO). He also serves as vice chairman of the Korea Intellectual Property Association.
Comments
“During his tenure at Samsung Display he was widely credited with transforming the company’s IP team into a far more aggressive and strategically-focused organisation—including initiating proactive enforcement of the company’s IP rights and strengthening its global IP portfolio.
“The IP team at Samsung Display consists of approximately 100 lawyers and professionals overseeing the full range of IP matters—including litigation, prosecution, and licensing. Shortly after arriving Charles restructured the team—moving workers into different roles to ensure stronger performance and better value from the group. As a result the team operated more actively and efficiently.
“More importantly, Charles crafted and led a major IP litigation campaign against competitors—most notably the Chinese display manufacturer BOE Technology Group in the highly valuable OLED market. The campaign included two complaints before the US International Trade Commission (ITC) for patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation along with multiple US district court cases.
“The cases were hard fought but resulted in determinations from the ITC that BOE had infringed multiple Samsung Display patents and misappropriated several trade secrets. Facing significant commercial risk following these determinations, BOE agreed to a settlement in November 2025. The terms remain confidential but published reports indicate the outcome represented a major financial and strategic victory for Samsung Display.
“Charles’s accomplishments have been widely recognised both within the company and across the legal industry. Through his restructuring of Samsung Display’s IP function and leadership of a landmark enforcement campaign in the OLED sector, Charles has demonstrated exceptional strategic impact as an in-house IP leader and is highly deserving of inclusion in the WIPR Global In-House Elite 2026.”