Samsung Display and LG Display had been fighting over display patents for a long time - with lawsuits launched by both sides and even accusations of stolen prototype TVs. In February 2013 the two companies agreed to resolve their OLED dispute and they even considered cross-licensing patents. Later in September 2013, they dropped all OLED lawsuits against each other in a reconciliatory gesture.
But the latest report from Korea is that the LG and SDC failed to negotiate a settlement. SDC wants to reach a patent cross-licensing deal, but LG is not interested. I think this may be because LG believes its WRGB technology is superior (and indeed they are much more advanced in their OLED TV efforts) - and perhaps Samsung is interested in adopting this technology for their OLED TVs as well.
It's not clear whether the talks broke down completely - we'll probably know soon if we'll see new lawsuits filed by the two companies.
Comments
I was under the impression that the government of SK was compelling them to negotiate a settlement and had imposed a deadline. This seems to be counter to the SK government ordering them to put this behind them. It doesn't jive. Assuming both firms violated the direct SK orders, maybe both CEO's should spend a couple days in jail to help them clear their thoughts.
There is always a problem when one company basically steals your top engineers and a prototype tv so they can get the basics of OLED right, when they have never made an OLED or in this case a AMOLED screen before. That's how this whole lawsuit business started. LG hadn't the slighest idea how to make OLED anything and so they commited spies to getting inside Samsung Display and also hired away top engineers, while also stealing a Prototype TV from Samsung. So Samsung sued them first several years ago. Then when Samsung merely starts investigating adding a white OLED, LG sues them and it had nothing to do with stealing back the OLED technology LG Stole in the first place or the fact that they were using a different backplane setup than Samsung's True OLED technology. Merely adding a White OLED was enough for LG to think they own that like Apple thinks they own rounded corners! ......the government is trying to get them both to cross license each others screen technology. LG doesn't need to cross license what they already stole from Samsung and they aren't willing to license their stupid use of a extra white OLED to Samsung, so they can own the entire OLED TV screen business! ......now who's being more unreasonable. Samsung is willing to cross license their technologies (even though LG already stole them) and LG isn't!!!
Sam Sung - be careful with your accusations. I'm following OLEDs very closely and I don't know what really happened between SDC and LGD.
I wish Samsung would stop trying to copy WRGB, and just try to perfect regular OLED. If they want to take someone else's idea, perhaps try to revive the CLED (Crystal LED) idea Sony apparentely abandoned.