Samsung Display and China’s BOE Technology, a supplier of OLED displays used in Apple devices, have agreed to settle a patent lawsuit related to OLED technology.
A Samsung Display spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the company has decided to drop all pending litigation because “both companies agree that fair technology competition is essential for the development of the display industry.” “We plan to withdraw all ongoing legal actions as part of this agreement.”
Samsung Display declined to comment on reports that BOE may pay patent royalties to the South Korean hardware giant as part of the settlement. BOE did not respond to requests for comment.
The settlement marks the beginning of a three-year long battle between Samsung’s display division and BOE. The two companies supply display panels used in Apple’s iPhone. In December 2022, Samsung filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) accusing BOE of infringing on its OLED patents, and then filed another lawsuit in October 2023 accusing the Chinese company of stealing trade secrets by poaching employees to gain access to confidential OLED manufacturing processes and technology.
In March 2025, the ITC ruled that BOE had infringed three of Samsung Display’s OLED patents. On the trade secret front, the ITC issued a preliminary judgment in July that found that BOE misappropriated Samsung Display’s OLED trade secrets and recommended that the Chinese company be prohibited from exporting OLED panels to the United States for nearly 15 years.
Both companies now appear to have asked ITC to close the investigation. When asked for confirmation, ITC declined to comment.
The settlement comes as major tech companies seek to reduce their dependence on Chinese manufacturers for parts used in their devices. The US export ban would certainly have been bad news for BOE, one of the world’s largest LCD and OLED display panel suppliers after Samsung and LG.
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The Samsung lawsuit highlights growing concerns about intellectual property theft. In July 2024, a South Korean court sentenced a former Samsung Display engineer to six years in prison for leaking approximately $24.5 million worth of OLED technology to China. And last month, South Korean police began an investigation after two LG Display employees were suspected of leaking proprietary display technology to a Chinese company.
