Seoul, June 16 (IANS) LG Display, a global leader in display panel manufacturing, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States against Chinese firm Tianma Microelectronics to protect its intellectual property, according to industry sources on Monday.

According to the sources, the South Korean company filed the suit Friday (U.S. time) with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accusing the Chinese company of infringing on seven of its patents, reports Yonhap news agency.

The alleged infringements include those involving touch integration for mobile panels.

The lawsuit claims that several of Tianma’s products, including mobile liquid-crystal display (LCD) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, violate multiple LG Display patents.

It marked the first time LG Display has taken legal action against a Chinese company over alleged patent infringement.

“Patent infringement is the unauthorized use of the time, capital and talent invested in developing proprietary technologies,” an LG Display official said. “We intend to respond decisively through legal action.”

Earlier this month, LG Display said it will invest 700 billion won ($515 million) in its domestic organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production facilities.

In September, LG Display sold its entire 80 percent stake in its large-size display panel and module plant in China’s Guangzhou to China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) for 2.25 trillion won.

CSOT, a subsidiary of Chinese electronics giant TCL Group, is one of the leading suppliers of television display panels. “With the proceeds, the company is considering expanding its existing OLED plant in Paju, 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, or building a new one in the city,” a company spokesperson said in a phone call.

In addition to the planned investment in OLED production, LG Display said it will use part of the proceeds for research and development, as well as operational expenses, to enhance its competitiveness in the OLED market.

To move the investment project forward, the company plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Paju City and Gyeonggi Province next month.

–IANS

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