In a rare and unprecedented move, LG Display has transferred 70 U.S. patents related to In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD technology to rival Samsung Display, marking the first direct intellectual property exchange between the two South Korean giants.
Finalized on July 29, 2025, the deal follows LG’s earlier handover of 55 LCD patents in South Korea in June, with around 8% overlapping as related U.S. patent families. For companies that have spent decades in head-to-head competition, the quiet handoff of such valuable IPS LCD technology is an unexpected turn in their long-running rivalry.
For much of the past two decades, LG Display and Samsung Display have competed for every inch of the display market, guarding their innovations closely and fighting for technological leadership in TVs, monitors, and mobile panels. The idea of one passing significant patents to the other once seemed impossible. Yet the portfolio now in Samsung’s hands represents years of LG’s R&D investment, particularly in IPS, a body of work that has defined premium LCD performance. The transfer signals not only a calculated shift in how both companies wield intellectual property, but also a moment when rivalry gives way to pragmatism under competitive pressure.
IP consolidation amid Chinese competition
The forces behind this exchange lie beyond South Korea’s borders. Chinese manufacturers such as Beijing Oriental Electronics (BOE) Technology Group Co., Ltd. and China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (CSOT) have rapidly expanded their presence in the global LCD market, leveraging cost advantages and scaling up production at unprecedented speed. This expansion has brought not only intensified price competition but also a surge in patent disputes, with IPS technology at the center of many of the most contested cases.
Samsung Display is already engaged in multiple legal battles in the United States with these Chinese rivals, including cases before the International Trade Commission and federal courts. While many disputes today focus on OLED, a pivot toward LCD-related litigation could reshape the market given the larger scale of the LCD sector. By acquiring LG’s patents, Samsung strengthens its legal arsenal, positioning itself to pressure competitors, block infringing products from key markets, and negotiate stronger licensing terms.
The July 2025 handover is part of a broader recalibration of how both companies manage their intellectual property. For LG Display, which has reduced its LCD focus to prioritize OLED, microLED, and other next-generation display technologies, transferring patents tied to a mature product line monetizes non-core assets while keeping them under domestic control. For Samsung Display, the acquisition expands its legal and technical toolkit in IPS and related LCD technologies, complementing earlier moves such as the purchase of 107 U.S. LCD patents from Taiwan’s AUO in 2024.
LG’s decision to hand over valuable IPS patents to Samsung, something unthinkable in their long rivalry, shows how competition from Chinese display makers has pushed the two companies into an uneasy but necessary cooperation.
The market value of display technologies
The global LCD panel market, including sub-technologies such as IPS, was valued at approximately USD 93.55 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to about USD 101.90 billion in 2025, eventually reaching USD 219.86 billion by 2034. This represents a healthy compound annual growth rate of 8.9 percent over the forecast period.
By comparison, the broader display panel market, which includes LCD, OLED, and other technologies, is expected to expand from around USD 152 billion in 2025 to USD 200 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 5.7 percent. These figures make it clear that LCD technology remains a massive, high-volume market and is far from being obsolete, even as OLED adoption accelerates.
Within this context, the July 2025 transfer gives Samsung Display a decisive tactical edge in the lucrative IPS segment, long regarded as the benchmark for high-quality LCD panels.. The newly acquired patents enhance its litigation leverage against BOE, CSOT, and other competitors, opening the door to higher licensing revenues, stronger negotiating positions in cross-licensing deals, and the ability to erect market entry barriers in jurisdictions where its IPS rights are enforceable.
For LG Display, the move monetizes dormant assets while indirectly protecting its remaining IPS portfolio by ensuring the patents are held by a domestic partner rather than a foreign rival. In effect, two rivals have traded exclusivity for alignment, transforming their competition into a collective defense of South Korean IP in an intensely contested global market.
LG Display: Patenting Activity
Between 2013 and 2024, LG Display filed 3,371 IPS-related patents and published applications, averaging just over 280 annually. The company’s most active period came between 2014 and 2016, when filings exceeded 400 per year and peaked at 710 in 2014. This peak aligns with LG’s efforts to strengthen its IPS portfolio while LCD technologies still dominated global panel production.
After 2016, IPS-related filings declined sharply, falling below 300 per year from 2017 onward and dropping to just over 100 by 2022–2023. The trend illustrates how IPS, once central to LG’s LCD competitiveness, became a legacy technology as the company shifted its R&D focus to OLED, microLED, and flexible displays. Still, the mid-decade build-up left LG with a significant reserve of IPS patents that later became non-core. That stockpile explains why LG had assets available to monetize, culminating in the transfer of 70 U.S. IPS-related patents to Samsung in 2025, giving its rival added leverage in LCD litigation and cross-licensing.
LG Display vs. Samsung Display
A comparison of global priority year filings shows how LG Display and Samsung Display followed different innovation cycles over the past decade. LG Display led strongly in the mid-2010s, filing 1,516 patents in 2015 and 1,739 in 2016, well ahead of Samsung’s 1,392 and 1,257 in those years. This peak reflects LG’s aggressive LCD and early OLED push, which later left it with a substantial stock of LCD intellectual property.
Samsung Display, by contrast, filed fewer patents in the mid-2010s but regained momentum by the end of the decade. From 2019 onward, its filings rose sharply, outpacing LG in 2019 and again in 2020. This rebound aligns with Samsung’s intensified focus on next-generation display technologies such as OLED, QD-OLED, and microLED, while it gradually wound down LCD production.
By the early 2020s, their filing activity had converged. LG’s earlier surge explains why it had mature LCD assets to monetize, while Samsung’s more recent upswing highlights its drive to consolidate IP strength in next-generation displays. The 2025 transfer of 70 LCD patents can thus be seen not only as LG unlocking value from its legacy portfolio but also as part of a broader national strategy to reinforce South Korea’s competitive position against Chinese rivals.
LG Display: Top Jurisdictions
LG Display’s patent portfolio is anchored in three key markets: South Korea, the United States, and China, which together account for more than two-thirds of its global filings between 2015 and 2025. With 1,610 filings in South Korea, the company reinforces its domestic base and protects the core of its R&D activity.
The United States remains critical as the leading venue for patent litigation and licensing. U.S. patents enable LG to pursue enforcement actions through the International Trade Commission, which can issue powerful import bans, while also supporting licensing revenues from global customers with significant U.S. sales.
In China , the emphasis is different. As the world’s largest display manufacturing hub and home to LG’s strongest rivals, including BOE and CSOT, China is where defensive coverage matters most. Filing patents here enables LG to protect against infringement in the same jurisdiction where competitors operate, while also creating leverage in negotiations with Chinese partners and suppliers.
Beyond these three markets, LG also maintains a secondary presence in Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Patent Office, France, Japan, Taiwan, and India. These jurisdictions extend LG’s protection into both mature technology markets and emerging growth regions, ensuring its IP portfolio keeps pace with global display adoption.
LG Display: Top Law Firms
LG Display’s global patent portfolio is supported by a strong network of law firms and boutique IP firms, reflecting both the scale of its filing activity and the need for international coverage. At the top of the list is Seah International Patent and Law Firm, which handled the largest number of LG’s IPS-related patents and applications between 2013 and 2024. Close behind are Neit International Patent & Law Firm and Yuil Highest International Patent and Law Firm, underscoring LG’s strong reliance on Korean IP expertise.
Other key firms include Beijing Sanyou Intellectual Property Agency, Fenwick & West, and Invensync Intellectual Property Group, highlighting LG’s strategic focus on both Asian and U.S. markets. Fenwick & West, in particular, stands out as the leading U.S.-based firm in the group.
The presence of firms such as Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Dana Patent Law Firm further illustrates LG’s efforts to maintain comprehensive global coverage, balancing domestic representation with international reach.
Overall, the distribution of these top law firms reflects LG Display’s dual strategy of working with trusted partners in Korea and China while also collaborating with specialized firms in key global markets.
LG Display: Top Technology Areas
LG Display’s patenting activity is most heavily concentrated in G02F (Optical modulators using electro-optical effects), which is central to liquid crystal display technologies, and G09G (Display control circuits), covering circuitry that manages and drives display panels. Another major cluster is G06F (Electric digital data processing), highlighting the integration of display innovations with computing systems and software.
Beyond these, H10D (Inorganic semiconductor devices) and H10K (Organic electric solid-state devices) reflect LG’s dual emphasis on materials research for both inorganic LEDs and organic OLEDs. H01L (Semiconductor devices; electric solid-state devices) further supports this backbone, linking device structures to LG’s work across LCD, OLED, and microLED platforms.
The portfolio also includes secondary but notable areas such as G09F (Static indicating displays), H04N (Image communication), and H05K (Printed circuits and assemblies). While smaller in scale, these categories illustrate LG’s effort to secure coverage in adjacent technologies that support display development and integration.
Together, these clusters show that while LG’s strength remains grounded in display circuits and modulators, its IP strategy extends into semiconductors, system-level integration, and supporting technologies essential for sustaining competitiveness in the global display industry.
LG Display’s vision for the future
The following sections highlight three patents from LG Display’s portfolio that demonstrate its influence on next-generation display technologies. These include innovations in foldable display durability, microLED scalability, and integrated touch sensitivity, showing how LG’s intellectual property continues to shape both device performance and user experience across the display industry.
Backplate design with patterned openings for durable foldable displays
As mobile devices evolve, flexible and foldable displays have emerged as key innovations for next-generation smartphones, tablets, and laptops. However, foldable panels face a critical challenge because repeated bending can cause deformation, cracks, or image defects in the folding region. Traditional reinforcement methods often add bulk or rigidity, undermining the very flexibility these devices are designed to offer. A smarter structural design is needed to ensure both durability and high image quality in foldable displays.
U.S. Patent No. 9,983,424 describes a foldable display device that addresses this problem through a backplate design with patterned openings. These openings expand the elastic deformation region in the folding area, reducing stress and allowing the panel to bend more smoothly. The design further includes step compensation layers, which help flatten irregularities created by the openings and minimize image distortion. Together, these innovations improve the mechanical resilience of foldable displays while preserving thinness and visual performance.
The patent, titled “Foldable display device,” was filed on June 7, 2016, and granted on January 11, 2017. It lists Kim Tae-Woo, Chae Gee-Sung, Park Joo-Hye, Myung Noh-Jin, Lee Seung-Hee, Shin Sang-Hak, and Kwak Tae-Hyeong as inventors. Legal representation was provided by Dentons US LLP.
This patent is one of the most cited in LG Display’s portfolio, with more than 200 forward citations from competitors and peers. Its influence stems from the fact that it tackles one of the core engineering bottlenecks of foldable devices: durability at the hinge line. The “cited by” record shows that nearly every major player in flexible displays, including Samsung Display, Samsung Electronics, BOE, CSOT, AU Optronics, Huawei, and E Ink, has referenced this patent in their own filings. LG itself also cites it in later foldable and rollable designs, underscoring its role as a baseline technology in flexible display development. This widespread referencing demonstrates how foundational U.S. Patent No. 9,983,424 has become, shaping R&D across the industry even as LG later stepped back from LCD production.
MicroLED electrode alignment to improve durability and performance
As consumers look for brighter, longer-lasting, and more efficient screens, microLEDs are becoming a top choice for future displays. Unlike OLEDs, which use organic materials that wear out over time, microLEDs use durable inorganic materials that offer better brightness, faster response, and a longer life. However, making microLED panels is difficult because it involves moving millions of tiny LEDs onto a surface with extreme precision. Even small errors can cause dead pixels, short circuits, or uneven lighting, driving up costs and reducing production yield.
U.S. Patent No. 11,527,520 provides a structural solution to this challenge through a contact-hole design in which a protective film around each microLED has a larger first contact hole, while an insulating layer above it has a smaller second contact hole. This configuration ensures that even if transfer errors occur, the electrodes of each microLED remain properly aligned and protected.
By increasing tolerance for misalignment, the design reduces short-circuit risks during electrode formation, prevents lighting malfunctions caused by chemical exposure, and ultimately improves yield. This invention addresses one of the biggest bottlenecks in scaling microLED displays by enabling the reliable mass transfer of microscopic devices. It supports the development of more practical, large-area, and flexible microLED panels.
The patent, titled “Micro light emitting diode display device,” was filed on September 20, 2018, and granted on December 13, 2022. It lists Ju Seong Hwan, Son Hyeon Ho, Kim Jin Yeong, Son Jung Eun, Park Hanchul, and Kim Hyunwoo as inventors. Legal representation was provided by Seed IP Law Group LLP.
Fixing edge sensitivity in touch displays
As smartphones, tablets, and laptops adopted slimmer and more seamless designs in the 2010s, integrating touch functionality directly into display panels became essential. Traditional add-on touch panels increased thickness and reduced brightness, while early in-cell touch screens struggled with poor touch sensitivity at the edges of the display. This edge weakness led to inconsistent performance when users tapped or swiped near the bezel, undermining usability in high-end devices.
U.S. Patent No. 9,342,177 offers a structural solution by introducing dummy electrodes in the non-display area adjacent to the active driving electrodes. These dummy electrodes extend the effective touch region into the panel’s periphery, ensuring that signals are still captured even when a touch overlaps the boundary of the display and non-display zones.
By increasing the electrode contact area and incorporating auxiliary lines to connect dummy electrodes to the driver IC, the design improves capacitance detection, raises signal strength, and equalizes sensitivity across the entire panel surface.
This invention is significant because it directly addresses one of the practical usability issues of integrated touch displays by improving performance at the edges. By solving the sensitivity gap without adding thickness or extra layers, the patent reinforces LG Display’s competitiveness in in-cell and on-cell touch technology.
The patent, titled “Display device with integrated touch screen having dummy electrodes,” was filed on December 23, 2013, and granted on August 26, 2015. It lists Seo Seong-Mo and Kim Tae-Hwan as inventors. Legal representation was provided by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Strategic alignment over rivalry
Even though the specific 70 patents transferred in July 2025 have not been publicly disclosed, their significance is clear. The deal shows how two of South Korea’s fiercest rivals can set aside decades of competition when faced with external pressures and evolving market dynamics. For LG, the transfer monetizes legacy LCD assets and supports a sharper focus on next-generation display technologies. For Samsung, it strengthens litigation readiness and reinforces its competitive position against Chinese manufacturers. Taken together, the move reflects a broader national strategy that aims to keep critical display IP within South Korea’s control, even if doing so requires rivals to cooperate in order to protect their shared competitive advantage.
Note: Thumbnail image is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the actual product made by LG Display and Samsung Display
