LG seeks ban on Samsung tablet sales in Korea

SEOUL–South Korea’s LG display said Friday it had asked a Seoul court to ban the domestic sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet computer, citing alleged patent infringements.

The company, in the injunction filed on Wednesday, accused Samsung Electronics of infringing three of its patents on the liquid crystal display (LCD) panels used on the Galaxy Note.

“Through this action, LG Display seeks to completely stop the sale, manufacture and importation of the infringing Samsung product,” LG Display said in a press release.

LG Display also said it would request compensation amounting to 1.0 billion won ($933,000) per day in the event of continued non-compliance.

The two companies have been in a patent row since September when LG Display — one of the world’s top flat-screen TV makers — filed suits against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display for allegedly infringing patents on seven organic light-emitting diode (OLED)-related technologies.

LG said that five of Samsung’s products, including its global hit Galaxy S-series smartphones and tablet computer Galaxy Tab, infringed its patents.

Later the same month, Samsung filed a court complaint accusing LG of luring away senior Samsung OLED researchers even though they had signed contracts preventing them working for a rival.

Samsung is no stranger to patent battles. The company and its arch rival Apple have filed lawsuits against each other in around a dozen countries for alleged patent violations over competing products, in particular the iPhone and Galaxy S smartphones, as well as tablet computers.

Earlier this month, a US judge denied Apple’s request to ban a set of Samsung smartphones from the US market after a jury found the South Korean electronics giant guilty of patent infringement.

Samsung, the world’s top mobile and smartphone maker, was ordered by a US jury in August to pay Apple $1.05 billion (800 million euros) in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features for its flagship Galaxy S phones.

Samsung has appealed the ruling. Since then, two separate rulings by courts in Japan and The Netherlands have dismissed Apple’s claims of patent infringement.