Samsung hits Chinese tech firm with iPhone display suit
Korean tech giant aims to fend off Chinese OLED display competitor | The USITC is also probing the alleged infringement of the patented tech used in Apple’s iPhone 12.
A Samsung unit is suing BOE Technology over the alleged infringement of patents protecting organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays used on smartphones, including the Apple iPhone 12.
Samsung Display filed the complaint at a federal court in East Texas on June 26, in which it asked a federal jury to award damages for the alleged violation. The South Korean tech company is also seeking an injunction to prevent its Chinese rival from importing and selling the affected displays.
BOE has, according to the complaint, infringed five patented displays used in mobile devices, namely: US patent numbers 7,414,599; 9,330,593; 9,818,803; 10,854,683, and 11,594,578.
An OLED display emits its own visible light meaning that it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than liquid crystal displays, the technology previously used in mobile devices.
The disputed OLED display panel comprises a substrate that supports the OLED pixel elements that are visible through the glass panel as well as the circuitry that controls the operation of the OLED pixels, said the complaint.
Samsung went on to say that the infringing BOE OLED display panel is mounted within the iPhone 12 chassis and is located behind a glass panel.
The feud first emerged in May 2022 when Samsung Display sent a letter to BOE Beijing notifying its OLED displays were infringing.
ITC probe
In December, Samsung Display filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging infringement of four patents by numerous companies (including BOE) which import and sell OLED display panels and modules used as displays for mobile devices.
In response to this complaint, the ITC instituted the investigation In re Certain Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode Display Panels and Modules for Mobile Devices, and Components Thereof.
Samsung Display later moved for leave to amend its ITC complaint to include claims for infringement of the recently issued ’578 patent, a motion that was granted in March.
This case has arisen as Samsung Display cements plans to more than double its OLED flat panel display manufacturing capacity over the next three years to maintain its pole position in the OLED market worldwide.
Fierce competition
In 2021, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants, Samsung controlled 59% of the OLED market, followed by LG Display with 23% and BOE with 9%. But BOE alongside other Chinese companies are rapidly gaining ground, according to a report in Asia Times.
In April at a ceremony attended by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the company announced that it would unveil new OLED display production lines in Asan, south of Seoul, at a cost of 4.1 billion won ($3.1 billion) in a renewed effort to fend off Chinese competition.
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