LG strikes back at Samsung with OLED patent suit

A legal showdown over OLED technology has been brewing in Korea for a while now, and LG Display has fought back by filing a patent lawsuit Samsung Electronics. Local news agency Yonhap reports that LG announced the complaint at a press conference, noting that it was asserting seven patents against its rival.

According to The Wall Street Journal, LG will seek an injunction against some of Samsung’s most popular devices, including the Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Note.

“This lawsuit has been filed both to enforce LG Display’s intellectual property rights and promote fair competition,” the company said.

Both companies have been major proponents of OLED technology, but competition over displays has become increasingly fierce for them.

Samsung struck first earlier this month when it filed an injunction request against LG. It’s accusing LG of effectively stealing its OLED technology and business secrets by “inducing [Samsung’s] researchers to transfer”. LG has maintained its innocence.

Samsung’s still smarting from the $1 billion judgment that a US judge slapped it with last month over infringement of Apple’s patents. The company has been embroiled in a bitter intellectual property dispute with the iPhone maker.

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