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Jilin OLED Files Invalidation Trial Against LG Chem Patent

Chips2 min read

Chinese OLED materials maker Jilin OLED has asked South Korea's patent office to cancel an LG Chem OLED patent. It is the first time a Chinese company has challenged an LG Chem OLED patent this way.

What happened

Jilin OLED's subsidiary, Shanghai Kelinte Chemical Materials, filed a request in November last year with the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board. The request asks the board to declare LG Chem's patent No. 1499356 invalid. The board sent both sides a notice in late October setting a date for an oral hearing.

Key facts

  • The patent covers OLED device materials, used in electron injection, electron transport, hole injection, hole transport, and light-emitting host layers.
  • LG Chem filed the patent in 2013 and it was registered in 2015.
  • Jilin OLED reported January to September sales of 606 million yuan (about 123.8 billion won).
  • Net profit for the same period was 182.42 million yuan (about 37.3 billion won).
  • Sales rose 55.8% from a year earlier, and net profit rose by 151.06 million yuan (about 30.9 billion won).

Background

Patent invalidation requests are usually filed as a response. Often, a patent owner sues a rival or warns it about patent infringement first. Here, Jilin OLED seems to see LG Chem's patent as a barrier to growing its business. LG Chem and other Korean firms have been in long patent disputes in the battery materials field, but this is the first such challenge from a Chinese firm against an LG Chem OLED patent.

Why it matters

Chinese OLED material makers are growing fast as Chinese panel makers like BOE and CSOT try to make their own materials. Korean panel makers also buy more from Chinese suppliers to cut costs. If Jilin OLED wins, LG Chem's patent could lose force, and Chinese rivals could sell similar materials more freely.

What to watch

  • The date and outcome of the oral hearing at the patent office.
  • Whether LG Chem or other firms respond with new lawsuits or warnings.
  • Whether other Chinese OLED material makers, such as Summer Sprout, LTOM, and Hyperions, file similar challenges.

Glossary

Jilin OLED
A Chinese company that makes materials for OLED screens.
LG Chem
A Korean company that makes chemicals, battery materials, and OLED materials.
OLED
A type of screen where each tiny light-emitting layer makes its own light, so no backlight is needed.

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