Samsung-LG court battle ends in win for Chinese OLED panel makers

BOE expands footprint with South Korean engineers, evoking China's rise in LCDs

20220621N Samsung panel plant

A decadelong conflict between Samsung Electronics and LG Group over OLED technology has ended up benefiting Chinese rivals. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Display)

KOTARO HOSOKAWA and SHUNSUKE TABETA, Nikkei staff writers

SEOUL/BEIJING -- A decadelong conflict between South Korea's Samsung Electronics and LG Group over OLED technology has finally drawn to a close, but not before Chinese players wrested control of a sizable portion of the market.

The panels, which form pictures using a thin, bendable layer of organic light-emitting diodes, had been cutting-edge technology when trouble first began brewing between the two companies in 2012. But the market has changed dramatically since then, and South Korean industry insiders worry that Samsung and LG wasted precious time and resources, raising the possibility China will eventually take over in OLEDs like it did with liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

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