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Samsung, LG call off lawsuits in patent dispute -- report

The companies are reportedly planning to resolve their disputes through dialogue, instead of through court proceedings.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger

Samsung Display and LG Display have decided to settle their patent disputes through dialogue and not court proceedings, a new report out of Korea claims.

Yonhap News reported today that Samsung and LG executives met at a hotel in Seoul to discuss their lawsuits. After leaving that meeting, Samsung Display CEO Kim Ki-nam told Yonhap that the companies will "resolve the issue one by one." LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom said the executives will continue to hold discussions.

LG Display sued Samsung Display in September, alleging that one of its chief competitors is violating seven patents it holds related to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The patent-infringement claims specifically targeted Samsung's OLED panels in the company's mobile tablets, including the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note.

In November, Samsung responded to the lawsuits, saying that LG's patents "lack innovation" and therefore should be invalidated by Korea's intellectual property tribunal.

The saga between the companies previously took a darker turn when 11 current and former Samsung Mobile employees were arrested on charges that they allegedly stole and leaked details to LG about Samsung's AMOLED TV. That theft allegedly included six LG workers and occurred in 2010 and 2011.

CNET has contacted Samsung and LG for comment on the patent dispute. We will update this story when we have more information.