Sharp Sues Samsung Over Korean LCDs Patents

Electronics giant Sharp has file a patent infringement suit against Samsung, claiming the company is violating three of its South Korean LCD patents.

Sharp’s battle with Samsung over LCD patents is heating up: following up on similar lawsuits the company filed in the U.S. and Japan in October, electronics maker Sharp has filed suit against technology giant Samsung, alleging the company is violating three South Korean patents related to LCD displays. The suit was filed in South Korea’s South Central District Court, and seeks damages and an injunction that would prevent Samsung from selling LCD screens and televisions in South Korea that use the patented technologies.

The patents related to technologies that increase the viable viewing angle for LCD displays, enable faster response times, and increase overall brightness.

"We have taken this legal action, but hopefully we will eventually be able to reconcile our differences and settle the matter in a positive way," said a Sharp spokesperson in a statement.

Sharp is the world’s third largest LCD television maker, following Samsung and Sony, although the technologies in the suit relate to everything from televisions and computer monitors to mobile phones and portable devices. Sharp was an early pioneer in LCD technology, launching one of the world’s first calculators with an LCD display way back in 1973.