Samsung Display sues a Chinese competitor for alleged patent infringement on iPhones

Samsung Display of South Korea has launched a lawsuit against BOE Technology, accusing the Chinese competitor of infringing on five of its patents for screens used in mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone 12.

Samsung Display, a division of Samsung Electronics, has urged a federal jury in Texas to award damages for infringement of BOE's patents on organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens. Samsung also requests a court order to prevent the import and sale of the concerned screens.

The action was filed on Wednesday with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, which has a reputation for expediting hearings and rulings.

OLED screens have been used by Apple in some of its Apple Watch and iPhone models, including the current iPhone 14. According to Apple, OLED displays have a higher resolution and may be slimmer than regular displays. 

According to industry analyst Omdia, Samsung Display dominates the OLED display market, with BOE closing the distance, overtaking South Korea's LG Display as the No. 2 player last year. 

"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," according to the lawsuit, referring to the 599 patent, which improves device image quality. 

Samsung Display filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission in December, alleging patent infringement by a number of firms selling OLED panels as replacement displays for mobile devices, prompting the agency to launch an investigation. 

Requests for response from Samsung and Apple were not immediately returned. 

In answer to an analyst inquiry regarding increased competition in the mobile OLED panel industry, Samsung Display chief Choi Kwon-young stated in January last year that the business was actively researching ways to get remuneration for its intellectual property. 

South Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse for everything from semiconductors and displays to automobiles, but Chinese competitors have been posing an increasing challenge to South Korean firms. 

Prosecutors stated last month that a former executive at Samsung Electronics was prosecuted on suspicion of stealing corporate technology for a copycat chip facility in China and endangering national economic security.