Samsung Display, China’s Boe Settle Oled Patent And Trade Secret Lawsuits

Samsung Display and China’s BOE Technology, a supplier of OLED displays utilized successful Apple devices, have agreed to settle a patent suit concerning OLED technology.

“The 2 companies person agreed that adjacent technological title is basal for nan advancement of nan show industry,” and person truthful decided to retreat each pending lawsuits, a spokesperson astatine Samsung Display confirmed to TechCrunch. “We [also] scheme to retreat each ongoing ineligible actions arsenic portion of this agreement.”

Samsung Display declined to remark on reports that BOE whitethorn salary patent royalties to nan Korean hardware elephantine arsenic portion of nan settlement. BOE did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The colony lays to furniture a drawn out, three-year conflict betwixt Samsung’s show section and BOE, some of whom proviso show panels utilized successful Apple’s iPhones. Samsung successful December 2022 filed a complaint pinch nan U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that BOE had infringed its OLED patents, and past revenge different lawsuit in October 2023, accusing nan Chinese institution of stealing waste and acquisition secrets by poaching labor to entree confidential OLED manufacturing processes and technologies.

In March 2025, nan ITC ruled that BOE had infringed 3 of Samsung Display’s OLED patents. On nan waste and acquisition concealed side, successful a preliminary ruling handed down successful July, nan ITC recovered that BOE had misappropriated Samsung Display’s OLED waste and acquisition secrets, and recommended banning nan Chinese institution from exporting OLED panels to nan U.S. for astir 15 years.

Now, nan companies appear to person asked nan ITC to extremity its investigation. When reached for confirmation, nan ITC declined to comment.

The colony comes arsenic awesome tech companies effort to reduce their reliance connected Chinese manufacturers for components utilized successful their devices. A U.S. export prohibition would person surely been unspeakable news for BOE, which is 1 of nan world’s largest suppliers of LCD and OLED show panels, behind Samsung and LG.

Samsung’s lawsuit underscored increasing interest complete nan theft of intelligence property. In July 2024, a South Korean tribunal sentenced a erstwhile Samsung Display engineer to six years successful situation for leaking OLED exertion worthy astir $24.5 cardinal to China. And past month, South Korean constabulary opened an investigation after 2 LG Display labor were suspected of leaking proprietary show technologies to a Chinese firm.