Samsung Display Wins OLED Patent War Against China’s BOE

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has confirmed that China’s BOE infringed on South Korea’s Samsung Display’s OLED patents. The USITC upheld its initial decision in November, finding that BOE had infringed three Samsung Display patents and that U.S. wholesalers had infringed four, according to industry representatives.

Image Source: Samsung Display

The patent dispute began in December 2022, when Samsung Display filed a complaint in the US against 17 American wholesale suppliers of components. The company alleged that OLED panels imported from China and used to repair smartphones infringed five of its patents, including the Diamond Pixel technology. The USITC’s investigation initially focused on the American suppliers, but it later became clear that the panels in question were manufactured by BOE. The Chinese company then voluntarily agreed to the investigation, while simultaneously filing a counterclaim.

BOE filed a lawsuit in April 2023 against the Chinese units of Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics in a court in Chongqing, China, accusing them of patent infringement. Also in June of that year, BOE, along with other Chinese display makers, attempted to challenge Samsung Display’s patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Appeal Board (PTAB).

However, the courts began to rule in Samsung Display’s favor, and in November 2024, a USITC judge upheld the challenged patents. The PTAB has found four of the company’s five patents valid, with the fifth pending.

However, the USITC did not ban BOE products from being imported or sold in the U.S., citing a lack of significant impact on U.S. industry. But for Samsung Display, the upholding of the USITC’s preliminary ruling was an important victory nonetheless, and is expected to impact a similar lawsuit in Texas.

Samsung Display also accused BOE of stealing trade secrets through employees of its partner Toptec. The U.S. International Trade Commission is expected to issue a preliminary ruling on that case soon. “We will continue to protect our intellectual property and respond aggressively to violations to remain competitive,” the company said.