Samsung Has Secured A Decisive Win In Its OLED Trade Secret Infringement Case Against China’s BOE
The South Korean and Chinese tech giants have had competitive tensions for a long time, and they seem to have grown more with the Chinese firms advancing rapidly when it comes to OLED and microLED display manufacturing. Samsung has been fighting a patent infringement case against Chinese display manufacturer BOE for quite some time, and it seems like it might finally turn out in the company’s favor after a major ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission. As per ITC’s recent decision, BOE did unlawfully use display technology that was patented, and of utmost importance for high-end OLED screens.
Samsung is nearing victory in display patent battle with BOE, and this may spell trouble for iPhone 17e pricing
Samsung has been legally pursuing the Chinese Manufacturer for long, but it is only now that the case seem to be turning in the South Korean tech giants favor as the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that BOE in fact, did infringe Samsung Display’s trade secrets and was in clear violation. Due to the infringement, now restrictions are to be placed on the BOE and most likely it would be the case that any products with display panels from the company would not come into the United States.
This would be challenging for Samsung which could invite more scrutiny from Chinese regulators, but it would pose bigger problems for the company’s major competitor, Apple. This is because Apple has been relying on BOE for quite some time for the OLED panels due to the reduced cost. If the restrictions are placed, the Cupertino giant would have to struggle to keep the price low for the upcoming iPhone 17e because it will most likely feature a BOE display.
Apple may as a result, find other suppliers like LG or even Samsung, which are in comparison far more expensive and could take up the production cost and eventually the retail price as well. What makes matters worse is that BOE was secured by the tech giant for display panels for the iPhone 17 units in the Chinese market, after years of failed quality checks. With the recent ITC ruling, this progress might be in vain and puts the deal into question, and whether or not it will remain a key Apple supplier in the long run is left in the air.
This development for Samsung could be a major setback for BOE and shake its position in the display industry. The only way it would have to come out of it would be by building its own technology faster and without copying others. It would also disrupt Apple’s plans for its budget phones and could make it extremely hard for the company to keep costs down and lead to delays due to changes in production or logistical hiccups. Nonetheless, it puts Samsung in a strong competitive position and highlights its focus on defending its intellectual property and asserts its industry-wide influence.
