'SamsunD Can’t Stand It Anymore', Files Complaint Against Chinese BOE at ITC... Alleges Trade Secret Infringement Following Patent Dispute (Comprehensive)

ITC Files Complaints Against BOE and 7 Subsidiaries
Evidence of Trade Secret Infringement Through Partner Toptec Confirmed

Last December, Sued Non-Supplying Vendors Targeting BOE
BOE Responded with Counterlawsuit in China Last May

Samsung Display has filed a complaint against Chinese company BOE with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) for trade secret infringement, following previous patent infringement claims. Last year, Samsung Display indirectly targeted BOE by filing patent infringement claims against U.S. component suppliers, and this time it has directly filed a trade secret infringement lawsuit against BOE. This reflects the seriousness of the matter.

On the 3rd, Samsung Display announced that it recently filed a complaint with the ITC against BOE and eight affiliated companies for trade secret infringement. The complaint alleges that since late 2017, BOE has infringed on trade secrets related to its OLED panel and module technology through Samsung Display’s partner, Toptec.

While conducting a domestic trial against Toptec, Samsung Display confirmed related circumstances and subsequently filed the lawsuit with the ITC. Earlier in March, the Suwon High Court found 11 Toptec executives guilty of leaking Samsung Display’s edge panel technology. During this process, it was revealed that Toptec’s potential clients included Chinese companies such as BOE.

The display industry expects the ITC to decide whether to initiate a full investigation by early next month. Samsung Display believes it has a strong chance of winning the lawsuit if the investigation proceeds, as the circumstances are clear. However, it also acknowledges that it usually takes a considerable amount of time to reach a final verdict, so the exact timing of the outcome is uncertain.

Samsung Display is also pursuing an indirect patent infringement lawsuit against BOE. In December last year, U.S. component wholesalers filed a complaint with the ITC to prevent the use of components and panels that infringe Samsung Display’s patents. This was aimed at stopping BOE from selling panels that infringe Samsung Display’s patents in the U.S. market.

In this regard, Samsung Display filed a patent infringement lawsuit against BOE in the U.S. Eastern District Court of Texas last June. It claims that BOE has been unauthorizedly using its OLED display patents incorporated in iPhone series released after the iPhone 12, manufacturing and selling products based on them.

A display industry insider said, "Considering that Samsung Display explicitly named BOE in its trade secret infringement lawsuit filed with the ITC, it indicates that this time the matter is clear and serious," adding, "The market can interpret this as a signal that Samsung Display will no longer tolerate such actions."

BOE is a Chinese display manufacturer established in 1993. It expanded its business by acquiring Hydis (LCD division), which was spun off from Hyundai Electronics in 2003, based on the patents and production technology obtained. As a result, BOE ranked first in the global LCD market last year. In the small and medium-sized OLED market, it ranks second after Samsung Display.

In December last year, when Samsung Display filed an indirect ITC lawsuit against U.S. companies, BOE responded with a counter lawsuit locally. In May, BOE filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Display’s China subsidiary and Samsung Electronics’ China subsidiary at the Chongqing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court in China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.