Did a US Jury Just Order Samsung to Pay $445.5 Million for Patent Infringement?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Samsung ordered to pay $445.5 million for patent infringement.
- The lawsuit was initiated by Collision Communications.
- Samsung's Galaxy devices were implicated in the ruling.
- The ITC's preliminary ruling favors Samsung Display over BOE.
- Market dynamics in the OLED sector remain stable despite the rulings.
Seoul, Oct 11 (NationPress) A federal jury in the United States has mandated that Samsung Electronics pay $445.5 million in damages after concluding that the South Korean tech giant violated several wireless network technology patents owned by an American company, based on reports from international media on Saturday.
According to sources from Reuters and other media outlets, the jury in Marshall, Texas, ruled on Friday (U.S. time) that Samsung had infringed upon four patents belonging to Collision Communications, a New Hampshire firm that focuses on wireless network efficiency technologies, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
The jury found that products from Samsung, such as Galaxy smartphones and notebook computers equipped with wireless capabilities, infringed the specified patents.
Collision Communications initiated the lawsuit against Samsung in 2023, alleging infringement of its proprietary technology.
In a related case, Samsung Display recently achieved a significant legal victory against BOE Technology Group Co., as the U.S. trade regulator implemented a near 15-year import ban on the Chinese competitor's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels.
Sources indicate that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a preliminary ruling banning imports of BOE's OLED panels for 14 years and eight months under a "limited exclusion order," which followed two years after Samsung Display filed its lawsuit in October 2023.
While a final decision is anticipated in November, industry observers believe the preliminary ruling will likely stand, as it confirmed BOE's infringement of Samsung Display's trade secrets.
Last month, the ITC stated that Samsung Display had demonstrated that BOE infringed at least one of its protected trade secrets, emphasizing that the Chinese company has "injured and threatens to substantially injure a domestic industry" in the U.S.
However, experts suggest that this ruling will not significantly affect BOE's market share in the OLED sector, as finished products utilizing its panels, including Apple's iPhones, remain unaffected by the restrictions.