A handful of Chinese display manufacturers are reportedly teaming up and going against Samsung Display in the USA because of the company's earlier efforts to stop imports of third-party displays that may be infringing on its technologies.
According to a new report (via The Elec), BOE, CSOT, Tianma, and Visionox have teamed up and filed a trial for patent invalidation with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The four display makers from China are going against one Samsung Display patented technology, in particular.
Namely, they're trying to invalidate U.S. Patent No. 7,414,599. It concerns “Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) Device Pixel Circuit and Driving Method.”
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Interestingly, this is one of the patents Samsung Display included in its investigation with the US International Trade Commission in December when the company fought against imports of OLED panels that infringe on its patents and technologies.
In essence, instead of going against manufacturers from China that infringe on its patents, Samsung Display decided to stop importers from bringing those panels into the USA. Now, it seems, display manufacturers from China, rather than importers, aren't responding kindly to Samsung's actions. BOE, CSOT, Tianma, and Visionox are all fighting back. Which, in a roundabout way, could be viewed as an admission of guilt for developing displays using Samsung technologies without a license.
It all appears to have begun at the beginning of May when BOE alone launched a barrage of patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung and its subsidiaries in China. The move seemed desperate, as it targeted divisions such as Semiconductor, Investment, Vision, and other subsidiaries that have no connection to display technologies. Now, however, BOE and three other display makers in China are trying to invalidate one Samsung Display OLED patent in the USA.
Word is that the trial for patent invalidation has not yet kicked off, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is trying to determine whether or not the invalidation claim can be accepted.
