Samsung files complaint in US against BOE for allegedly leaking trade secrets

Samsung Display has filed a complaint against BOE Technology and seven of its affiliates to the United States’ International Trade Commission, claiming the Chinese display makers violated trade secret regulations, an ITC document revealed on Friday.

According to the document from the ITC, Samsung Display filed the complaint on Oct. 31, accusing the Chinese rival of violating a US Tariff Act in the US' importation and sales of organic light-emitting diode display modules and components in the US.

The Act covers “unfair methods of competition," which include infringement of intellectual property. Act of violation also includes obtaining confidential information from the employees and fake employment.

In its interpretation of the number of BOE violations, Samsung explained how BOE is involved in a leakage case where the Korean top court found its business partner, Toptec, guilty of leaking Samsung’s curved edge panel technology to China, an industry official said under the condition of anonymity.

The ITC investigation is expected to kick off early next month.

In a separate case, the ITC backed all of Samsung’s interpretations claiming that BOE infringed on five of Samsung's display patents, which include “Diamond Pixel” technology, in a pretrial order in September.

The Korean display maker accused BOE that it distributed counterfeit displays widely used in the US for fixing smartphones. The legal action came to deter the Chinese panel maker and protect its consumer-focused patents.

In counteraction, BOE had also filed for patent invalidation proceedings with the US Patent and Trademark Office against the five concerned patents filed by Samsung in June.

In response, Samsung initiated patent infringement lawsuits in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and in Chinese courts. The main trial at the ITC is set to begin on Jan. 22 next year, with a verdict expected on June 17, 2024.