Samsung Display Sues Chinese Rival Over Alleged Patent Violation on iPhones

Apple has been using OLED displays on some of its Apple Watch and iPhone models, including the latest iPhone 14.

By Reuters | Updated: 4 July 2023 01:33 IST

Samsung Display Sues Chinese Rival Over Alleged Patent Violation on iPhones

The OLED display market is dominated by Samsung Display, with BOE narrowing the gap

Highlights

The case was filed on Wednesday with the US court in East Texas
Samsung also seeks an injunction from the court to halt the import
South Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse for items

South Korea's Samsung Display has filed a lawsuit against BOE Technology, accusing the Chinese rival of infringing five of its patents for displays used in mobile devices including Apple's iPhone 12.

Samsung Display, a unit of Samsung Electronics, asked a federal jury in Texas to award damages for the infringement of patents regarding organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays supplied by BOE. Samsung also seeks an injunction from the court to halt the import and sale of the affected displays.

The case was filed on Wednesday with the US court in East Texas, which has a reputation for quicker hearings and decisions on cases.

Apple has been using OLED displays on some of its Apple Watch and iPhone models, including the latest iPhone 14. Apple says OLED delivers high resolution and allows for a thinner display than a traditional display.

The OLED display market is dominated by Samsung Display, with BOE narrowing the gap, overtaking South Korea's LG Display as the No. 2 player last year, according to market researcher Omdia.

"Samsung Display has suffered, and will continue to suffer, irreparable harm as a result of Defendants' infringement of the '599 Patent' for which there is no adequate remedy at law, unless Defendants' infringement is enjoined by this Court," the lawsuit says, referring to the 599 patent, which improves the image quality of a device.

In December, Samsung Display filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging patent infringement by numerous companies selling OLED screens as replacement displays for mobile devices, triggering an investigation by the agency.

Samsung and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Samsung Display executive Choi Kwon-young said in January last year that the company was actively seeking ways to receive compensation for its intellectual property, in a response to an analyst question about rising competition in the mobile OLED screen market.

South Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse for items ranging from chips and displays to automobiles, but South Korean companies have been facing a growing threat from rivals in China.

Last month, a former executive at Samsung Electronics was indicted on suspicion of stealing company technology for a copycat chip factory in China and jeopardising national economic security, prosecutors said

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iPhone 12

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good build quality
Dolby Vision HDR video recording
Excellent cameras
Smooth performance in everyday use

Bad
Battery life could be better
Gets warm when stressed

Read detailed Apple iPhone 12 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A14 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 64GB

OS iOS 14

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Good overall performance
Great camera quality in daylight
iOS ecosystem and ease of use

Bad
Dated design and notch
Very similar to iPhone 13
Relatively slow charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 review

Display 6.06-inch

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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