Samsung to drop LCD patent suit against LG Electronics

Samsung Display Co., the world’s biggest display maker, has decided to drop a patent suit against LG Electronics Co. over liquid-crystal display technologies, paving the way for both sides to end a long-running legal battle, industry sources said Wednesday.

The two display giants have been embroiled in a patent tussle over organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and LCD technologies that broke out on the heels of a police investigation into an alleged leak of technologies from Samsung Display to LG Display last year.

In December last year, Samsung Display filed suits against LG Electronics and LG Display Co. claiming that they had infringed its key LCD technologies.

LG Display is an affiliate of LG Electronics Inc., the country’s No. 2 mobile phone maker after Samsung Electronics. LG Display also competes with Samsung Electronics for the top position in the global market for displays.

After filing requests for a sales ban on each other’s products and use of certain technologies, the two companies have recently agreed to make a compromise in a meeting organized by the commerce ministry.

In February, Samsung Display dropped an injunction aimed to block LG Display from using its OLED technology. In response, LG Display nullified its sales ban request on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 devices. (Yonhap News)