Inside the Samsung OLED Patent Case
The two-year legal battle centered on OLED technologies that form the visual core of many of Samsung’s flagship devices — including Galaxy smartphones, smart TVs, and laptops. Pictiva alleged Samsung had long been aware of its patents but chose to proceed with manufacturing devices that used the same underlying concepts.
The U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) had instituted reviews for four of the five patents before the trial, but declined to review the ‘547 patent due to scheduling conflicts. That denial was later upheld by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s acting director, Derrick Brent, despite acknowledging minor errors in the PTAB’s reasoning.
Legal Powerhouses Behind the Battle
The courtroom clash pitted two heavyweight legal teams against each other.
Pictiva was represented by Samuel F. Baxter and Jennifer L. Truelove of McKool Smith PC, alongside Jason G. Sheasby, Rebecca Carson, Annita Zhong, Jie Gao, Jeffrey Linxwiler, and Michael Tezyan of Irell & Manella LLP.
Samsung turned to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, led by Sean S. Pak, Melissa J. Baily, and John Bash, with Melissa R. Smith of Gillam & Smith LLP serving as local counsel.
