 "LG Display drops sales ban bid against Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1")
In a critical turn of events, LG Display Co. has withdrawn its request for a domestic sales ban on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, reports the Yonhap News Agency reports. This move may be an indication of the two companies (LG Display Co. and Samsung Display Co.) moving closer towards burying the hatchet. The company had approached a Seoul court in December last year, seeking a ban on the domestic sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in South Korea citing patent infringements.
LG Display Co. accused Samsung Electronics of infringing upon three of its patents pertaining to LCD panels. It aimed to “completely stop the sale, manufacture and importation of the infringing Samsung product”. LG Display even affirmed that it would request a compensation of 1 billion won ($933,000) per day, if Samsung refused to comply.
It all began in September last year, when LG Display Co filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics in a South Korean civil court.
Sales ban bid against the Galaxy Note 10.1 dropped
The lawsuit pertained to the use of advanced OLED displays in smartphones and tablet PCs. LG Display had alleged that seven of its patents pertaining to the design of OLED panels, driver circuitry, and device design have been infringed upon.
The company had said it would seek damages and a permanent injunction banning the sale of Samsung products in South Korea it believes infringes upon its patents, including the Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet, and the Galaxy Note phablet. LG Display stated, “This lawsuit has been filed both to enforce LG Display’s intellectual property rights and promote fair competition”. At the time, Samsung had stated that it was in possession of more OLED-related patents than LG, and that it would look into the lawsuit and take into account legal action “if it is needed”.
Besides LG Display, South Korean giant Samsung has been battling Apple’s patent infringement allegations for a while now. Recently, Apple’s request to reinstall its sales ban bid against Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone met with failure after it was turned down by a US appeals court. In October last year, too, a US appeals court had refused to further a preliminary injunction on the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone, thereby delivering a setback to Apple. Reportedly, the Cupertino-based giant had asked the full Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. to reconsider its October decision. A trial is scheduled for March 2014.
In December last year, Samsung Electronics had affirmed that it would drop its lawsuits seeking a sales ban on Apple’s products in Europe. Samsung said it will not make attempts to stop the sale of some Apple products in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Interestingly though, Samsung has made no mention of whether it would put an end to its court battle for compensation. Quoting the South Korean giant, reports state, “Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court.”
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