A model tests the three-dimensional (3D) images beamed on Samsung Electronics’ latest 55-inch liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen developed for 3D-enabled televisions. (Korea Times)
Samsung Electronics, the leader in the chip and flat-screen industries, has increased the number of its staff specializing in patent issues by 300 to 550 since 2005, according to company representatives.
It says patent-related issues have emerged as one of the company’s top concerns in the face of intensified competition among rivals in the consumer electronics industry.
A growing number of patent trolls is another problem.
These individuals or companies enforce patents as an investment to collect royalties, rather than manufacture products or delivering services based on them.
LG Electronics is planning to increase the number of its patent staff by a “certain percentage” in 2010, while LG Display, the world’s No. 2 maker of LCD panels, is also reviewing the possibility of expanding its legal affairs capability, according to industry sources.
“It’s necessary for LG to constantly expand the number of patent staff to reinforce the negotiation power in international patent lawsuits,” an LG representative said.
Samsung Electronics has been involved in a years-long patent war with Rambus in chips. At the same time, the company has been tied up in a patent litigation with Japan’s Sharp in flat-screens and Finland’s Nokia in mobile phones.
“Samsung and Sharp have many patents related to LCD technology so these kinds of lawsuits will continue to occur as long as they make TVs,” said Kim Yoo-jin, an analyst at Taurus Investment & Securities. – read more at The Korea Times…
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