Move to finish Korea firm’s exit from LCD space
Samsung Display had transferred its patents in the US related to liquid crystal display (LCD) to CSOT back in June, TheElec has learned.
It also transferred its patents in South Korea to the Chinese company last month, sources said.
A total of 577 patents in the US were given to CSOT, which bought Samsung Display’s LCD factory in Suzhou, China in 2020.
The South Korean tech giant is thought to have sold all its some 2,000 patents related to LCD around the world in the deal. The recent transfer signals the effective end of Samsung Display's LCD business.
CSOT’s parent company TCL had been vulnerable to patent lawsuits in the US due to its lack of LCD patents.
The latest move will likely protect it from future lawsuits. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics also likely retained rights to use the patents transferred by Samsung Display.
Sources said those in the display sector are wondering if CSOT would use the patents to file lawsuits against rival BOE.
The display panel market has matured in recent years and the slowdown in growth means more companies could file lawsuits against each other as their strategy, they added.
LCD panels were in high demand during the pandemic but prices have fallen in recent months to even lower points prior to the pandemic. COST’s factory operation has dipped due to this.
Samsung Display also owns shares in CSOT and the Chinese company is a key supplier of LCD panels to Samsung Electronics.
A united front between them against BOE makes sense as the Chinese company has fast risen in recent years as the largest LCD maker and is aggressively attempting to expand its shares in OLED for smartphones.
