SEOUL, KOREA – Samsung Display and LG Display have agreed to end their scathing rows over patents. On Monday, Samsung Display CEO Kim Ki-nam and LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom held a government-brokered meeting at Seoul Palace Hotel in Banpo in order to find a way out of the patent stalemate.
The two CEOs met for the first time since their tit-for-tat battle over technological leaks erupted in April of last year. For the past six months, Samsung Display and LG Display continued to lock their horns in court.
Though what was agreed upon at the meeting was not disclosed in detail, the two said they agreed to take steps towards reconciliation. Following this top-level meeting on Monday, working-level meetings will ensue to hammer out specific ways to end the patent feud.
As of now, a total of six lawsuits are underway between the two global display makers as their bad blood had shown no signs of abating up until the last month. Their patent battle morphed into emotional tussles rather than struggles to protect their patents on certain technologies. As a result, the coverage of their litigious patent battle expanded into organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and LCD.
Their patent war broke up after Samsung Display filed an injunction request against its rival, accusing it of engineering leaks to snatch details of its display technology. Court ruling on Samsung Display’s injunction complaint against LG Display is due out this month. Thus, whether the Monday meeting between the two CEOs will lead to Samsung Display’s decision to withdraw the charge against LG draws attention.
Sean Chung (hbpark@etnews.com)
**Article provided by etnews [Korea IT News]
[Reference] : http://english.etnews.com/electronics/2715655_1303.html
