iPhone OLED supplier, BOE busted for stealing Samsung tech, likely to get 14-year ban in the US

Apple’s OLED display supplier, BOE is likely to face a 14-year ban in the US for illegally stealing Samsung Display’s OLED technology.

Chinese display manufacturer BOE, also popularly known for supplying OLED displays for Apple iPhone, has been making headlines for quite some time. Currently, the company, among 7 others, has been a part of an investigation by the US Department of Defence for stealing Samsung Display's trade secrets. Now, a Korean news outlet has confirmed that BOE will face a ban in the U.S for 14 years and 8 months. However, the final ruling is not expected until November of this year, but the report claims that the penalties and repercussions have been finalised.

iPhone display manufacturer caught stealing Samsung’s display tech

BOE will likely face a 14-year ban in the US. Know how it will affect Apple iPhones in the coming months. (Aishwarya Panda-HT)

By Aishwarya Panda

Aishwarya Panda is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream with nearly 4 years of experience in tech content writing. She is passionate about writing and exploring her interests in the ever-evolving world of technology. She loves to get her hands on new tech products and gadgets, especially in the space of smartphones.

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The Korean news report highlighted that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a preliminary ruling, where it found BOE of violating Article 337 of the Tariff Act by illegally using Samsung Display trade secrets for OLED technology. 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.”

As per the violation rules, ITC has been ordered to issue a Limited Exclusion Order (LEO) to BOE. Now, this decision will restrict BOE’s OLED display supply in the US for 14 years and 8 months. This time period is calculated based on how much time it took for Samsung Display to introduce the core OLED technology. In addition to the ban, ITC has reportedly demanded to ban marketing, sales, advertising, and inventory sales in the US and local US subsidiaries. However, the ban may come into force during the final ruling, which is expected to be announced in November.

This decision could have a significant impact on Apple since the majority of iPhone displays were supplied by BOE. On the other hand, Samsung Display and LG Display could have a major gain from the decision since leading brands, including Apple, will be compelled to rely on these two companies for OLED display supply. As of now, existing iPhone models with BOE displays will continue to sell in the US market, but the future iPhone could come with different OLED technology.

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