Samsung Display transferred its LCD-related patents in the US to TCL Huaxing in June, according to TheElec. The source said Samsung Display also transferred its patents in South Korea to TCL Huaxing last month.
Huaxing, which has 577 patents granted in the U.S., previously acquired Samsung Display’s LCD plant in Suzhou, China, in 2020, the report said.
Samsung Display is believed to have sold all of its approximately 2,000 LCD-related patents to a third party in the deal. The recent transfer marks the complete end of Samsung Display’s LCD business.
TCL Huaxing, on the other hand, is vulnerable to patent litigation in the US due to its relatively few LCD patents, and this latest move may protect it from future litigation. At the same time, Samsung Electronics may also retain the right to use Samsung Display’s transferred patents.
Samsung Display has decided to shut down its liquid crystal display (LCD) business in June, with its global competitive advantage declining as Chinese rivals produce cheaper products, making it struggle, industry sources revealed Sunday, as previously reported by the Korea Times.
Samsung Display will no longer produce LCDs for large TV screens and will instead focus on making organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and quantum dot (QD) displays. employees from the LCD business are expected to be transferred to the QD business, while LCD demand will be sourced from other manufacturers such as TCL Huaxing.
