Files a Patent Invalidation Trial with U.S. Patent Authority

Samsung Electronics has recently filed a patent invalidation trial against Solas OLED.

Samsung Electronics has recently filed a patent invalidation trial against Solas OLED with the U.S. Patent Appeal Board (PTAB). The move is in response to a patent infringement suit filed by the patent troll with the Eastern District Court of Texas in March.

Solas OLED claimed that Samsung Electronics violated its patent (patent number: 8526767), which is related to technology or equipment that recognizes complex touch gesture combinations or multi-touch combinations.

For example, the patent covers the zooming in and out of a smart device screen using two fingers.

Solas OLED filed the lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, claiming that Samsung Electronics is making and selling products using its 2013 patent without receiving permission from Solas OLED.

On the other hand, Samsung Electronics argues that technologies for touch sensors and gesture recognition had already been developed before. A U.S. patent registered under the name of "Multi-Contact and Single-Contact Input" in 2009 already convers multi-touch gesture recognition technology, the Korean tech giant says.

Samsung Electronics claims that Solas OLED’s patent is just a predictable combination of already known technologies, insisting that the PTAB accept its invalidation petition.

Solas OLED has been engaged in patent disputes with Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display for years. The patent troll filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Eastern District Court of Texas in May 2019, claiming that Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display violated three patents related to OLED panels for smartphones, including one patent for touch technology and two patents for driving circuits.

With respect to the lawsuit, a U.S. court ordered Samsung to pay 71 billion won in damages in early 2021, judging that it violated two of the three patents. Encouraged by the ruling, Solas OLED is escalating its offensive. Two weeks after the verdict, it filed an additional patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display.

However, the tide is turning in favor of Samsung. The PTAB ruled that the three patents (9256311, 6072450, 7446338) of Solas OLED were all just combinations of existing prior technologies.

If the PTAB also decides to nullify Solas OLED’s 8526767 patent, Samsung is expected to win the appeal trial.

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