22
Nov
By Eric Schweibenz and Alex Englehart
On November 17, 2017, Seung Ki Joo, Ph.D. of South Korea filed a complaint (see part 1; part 2; and part 3) requesting that the ITC commence an investigation pursuant to Section 337.

The complaint alleges that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Display Co., Ltd. (collectively, “Samsung”)—both of South Korea—unlawfully import into the U.S., sell for importation, and/or sell within the U.S. after importation AMOLED displays that infringe one or more claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,221,702 (the ’702 patent), 6,197,623 (the ’623 patent), and 6,097,037 (the ’037 patent) (collectively, the “asserted patents”).

According to the complaint, the asserted patents generally relate to methods of crystallizing silicon thin films in a temperature below 600° C. In particular, the ’702 patent relates to a method of fabricating a thin film transistor in which a metal silicide line generated from Metal Induced Lateral Crystallization (MILC) is located at the outside of a channel region. The ’623 patent relates to a method for crystallizing an amorphous silicon thin film. Lastly, the ’037 patent relates to a thin film transistor with a continuous crystallized layer that includes a channel region and portions of source and drain regions.

The complaint states that Samsung imports and sells products that infringe the asserted patents. The complaint specifically refers to Samsung smartphones that incorporate AMOLED displays as infringing products. The complaint further states that Samsung’s patent infringement has damaged U.S. industry, e.g., through unfair competition with Apple Inc.’s smartphones.

With respect to potential remedy, Dr. Joo requests that the Commission issue a permanent general exclusion order, a permanent limited exclusion order, and permanent cease and desist orders directed at Samsung.