by Xie Shouzhen
China’s leading panel maker BOE recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit against South Korean technology company Samsung Display in the United States. BOE accuses Samsung Display of infringing on four of its patents related to under-display camera technology used in the Galaxy Z Fold series foldable smartphones. At the same time, Samsung Display has also once again filed patent infringement claims against BOE and several of its affiliated companies.
According to reports from Guancha.cn, BOE stated that the OLED technology used in the under-panel camera (UPC) of Samsung Electronics’ book-style foldable phone Galaxy Z Fold series infringes four of its patents.
It is understood that UPC technology involves placing the camera module beneath the panel and activating it only when needed, allowing 100% utilization of the entire screen when the camera is not in use. Current punched-hole smartphones are unable to use this area as part of the screen, as they cut out part of the panel to expose the front camera lens.
In fact, this is not the first legal dispute between the two parties. As early as December 2022, Samsung Display filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against BOE, accusing it of infringing four patents related to active-matrix organic light-emitting OLED display panels and modules for mobile devices.
Industry insiders believe that as representative companies in the panel industry, the patent lawsuits between Samsung and BOE reflect fierce competition between the two giants in the panel market. According to data from U.S.-based market research firm DSCC, Samsung Display held a 42.2% market share of the global OLED panel market (by sales revenue) in 2024, ranking first, while BOE ranked third with a 13.2% market share.
[June 2, 2025 / Economic Daily / Page A8]
22 total views, 2 views today