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Samsung Display has scored an unprecedented victory against its rival BOE for stealing its OLED technology. In 2023, it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese firm BOE with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC). Samsung recently won that lawsuit, and the commission's ruling is expected to effectively ban BOE's products from entering the USA.
On July 11, 2025, the US ITC issued a preliminary ruling stating that eight companies, including BOE and its US subsidiaries, violated Article 337 of the Tariff Act by illegally using Samsung Display's OLED-related patents. The ruling largely acknowledged that BOE stole Samsung Display's technologies by hiring former staff and other means, causing Samsung Display millions of dollars in damages.
BOE's OLED panels will likely be banned from the US for nearly 15 years
A report from Chosun Biz (via @Jukanlosreve) reveals that the US ITC's final ruling, expected to be announced in November 2025, could ban BOE and its OLED panels from the USA for fourteen years and eight months. This ban would prevent BOE's OLED panels from being used in iPhones and other Apple products, potentially giving Samsung Display a significant advantage in the coming years.
Since 1997, Samsung Display invested millions of dollars in OLED panel research and development. However, BOE, which entered the market 16 years later, quickly began large-scale OLED production without any evidence of its own research and development. BOE hired former Samsung Display employees and contacted their suppliers to steal the required technology.
The US ITC said, “Despite Samsung Display's excellent security measures, BOE obtained and used Samsung Display's trade secrets through misappropriation,” and “caused substantial harm and serious threats to Samsung Display.” It has imposed severe sanctions on BOE for stealing Samsung's technology and issued a Limited Import Order (LEO) to BOE for 14 years and 8 months.
LEO is usually calculated as the time required to eliminate unfair profits. In the case of BOE, though, the US ITC also included the time required for developing the technologies BOE stole from Samsung Display. It signifies the years of time it takes to develop high-end technologies like OLED.
Samsung Display scores an unprecedented win against Chinese rival BOE
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The ruling blocks all advertising, inventory sales, marketing, and sales activities by BOE and its local subsidiaries in the USA. It basically blocks all business activities and imports by the company. So, going forward, BOE will find it impossible to sell its products in the USA since even sample panels can't be imported for showcasing them to existing and potential clients.
Apple initially bought OLED panels for iPhones from Samsung Display. Then, it started buying OLED panels from LG Display. A few years ago, it added BOE to the supply chain, reducing LG's and Samsung's revenue. BOE holds a 22.7% share of the iPhone OLED panel supply, surpassing LG Display's 21.3% share.
In the future, though, LG Display and Samsung Display will likely make all OLED panels for Apple's products, increasing their revenue and profits.
BOE also supplies millions of OLED panels to the likes of Honor, Huawei, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, and others. And products that use BOE's panels won't be allowed to be sold in the USA, which makes it hard for brands like OnePlus to sell those phones in the USA.
China and the USA are currently engaged in an extensive geopolitical and trade war. The US ITC's stern action against BOE is being seen by experts as USA's warning to Chinese firms that are known for stealing technologies and dominating the market with lower priced products.
The post Chinese firm to be banned for stealing Samsung’s OLED tech appeared first on SamMobile.
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