South Korean prosecutors charge nine people for selling Samsung's flexible display tech

[Matrix]

It'd be embarrassing if Samsung wasn't first to market with its own tech

 

 

 

Why it matters: Samsung's flexible display technology is one of the buzziest advancements in recent memory. Having it slip into the hands of a Chinese rival before launch would be a disaster that Samsung may have successfully avoided.

South Korean prosecutors have charged nine people with selling Samsung’s Infinity Flex Display technology to a Chinese screen maker.

According to Reuters, the chief executive of supplier Toptec Co Ltd and eight employees formed a shell company and sold the trade secrets to an unnamed Chinese buyer earlier this year for 15.5 billion won ($13.84 million). The individuals were caught while loading equipment on a ship destined for China.

Toptec in a statement said it has never provided Samsung Display’s industrial technology or business secrets to a Chinese client, adding that it will fully cooperate with legal proceedings to find the truth in court.

Prosecutors said Samsung invested around 150 billion won over a six-year period to develop the 3D lamination technology at the heart of the Infinity Flex Display.

Samsung teased the cutting-edge foldable screen tech at a media gathering earlier this month. Mass production is expected in the coming months.

The practicality of a bendable smartphone has yet to be proven. Early examples are expected to be prohibitively expensive yet in the same respect, it’s something new and different and arguably, the smartphone industry could use something exciting right about now.

 

source

[jabrwky]

Chinese R&D. Business as usual.

[steven36]

Prosecutors in South Korea have indicted the chief executive and eight other employees of Toptec Co for allegedly selling information about Samsung’s flexible OLED displays to a Chinese company. The charges detail that the company received more than $13.8 million for the information, Bloomberg reports.

 

 

Toptec, a Samsung supplier that manufactures display-related equipment, has denied the charges in a statement. “Our company has never provided Samsung Display’s industrial technology or business secrets to a Chinese client. Our company will fully cooperate with legal proceedings to find the truth in court.” The company’s share price is down 20 percent at the time of writing.

 

Samsung’s flexible display tech probably makes you think of their weird and yet-to-be-released foldable phone that they just showed off earlier this month. Samsung’s been deep in the flexible display business for a while though even if their bends have been less acute like the designs of much older handsets like the Galaxy S6 Edge.

 

The Chinese company was not named in the suit though there are a number of companies working to produce flexible displays for smartphones.

 

South Korea’s national interests are deeply intertwined with the business dealings of Samsung, and the threat of intellectual property theft to China is one which they seem to be taking very seriously. We have reached out to Samsung for comment.

 

Source

[BimBamSmash]

One thing that puzzles me at times like this is as follows: Suppose they crushed Toptec to pieces. Will it win them back what they allegedly lost to China? Could it stop potential future leaks?

[jabrwky]

"Chinese Company" = PRC, fwiw.

[Crazycanuk]

Content has been merged