Samsung Display and China’s BOE Technology, a supplier of OLED displays for Apple devices, have agreed to settle a patent lawsuit concerning OLED technology. A spokesperson at Samsung Display confirmed to TechCrunch that the two companies have agreed fair technological competition is essential for the advancement of the display industry. As a result, they have decided to withdraw all pending lawsuits. The spokesperson also stated they plan to withdraw all ongoing legal actions as part of this agreement.
Samsung Display declined to comment on reports that BOE may pay patent royalties to the Korean hardware giant as part of the settlement. BOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This settlement concludes a drawn-out, three-year dispute between Samsung’s display division and BOE. Both companies supply display panels used in Apple’s iPhones. Samsung initially filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in December 2022, alleging that BOE had infringed its OLED patents. The company then filed another case in October 2023, accusing the Chinese firm of stealing trade secrets by poaching employees to access confidential OLED manufacturing processes and technologies.
In March 2025, the ITC ruled that BOE had infringed three of Samsung Display’s OLED patents. In a separate preliminary ruling on the trade secret allegations handed down in July, the ITC found that BOE had misappropriated Samsung Display’s OLED trade secrets. The commission recommended banning the Chinese company from exporting OLED panels to the U.S. for nearly 15 years.
Now, the companies appear to have asked the ITC to end its investigation. When reached for confirmation, the ITC declined to comment.
The settlement arrives as major tech companies try to reduce their reliance on Chinese manufacturers for components used in their devices. A U.S. export ban would have been terrible news for BOE, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of LCD and OLED display panels, behind Samsung and LG.
Samsung’s case highlighted growing concerns over the theft of intellectual property. In July 2024, a South Korean court sentenced a former Samsung Display engineer to six years in prison for leaking OLED technology worth about 24.5 million dollars to China. Last month, South Korean police opened an investigation after two LG Display employees were suspected of leaking proprietary display technologies to a Chinese firm.