Idemitsu Kosan Co has announced that the company has acquired a 32.73% stake in Global OLED Technology LLC, the LG Group company that acquired all of the Kodak patents back in Dec 2009 . It has been estimated that Idemitsu paid several billion yen for this stake. According to reports Global OLED Technology owns about 2,000 patents related to OLED technology. This stake continues to build on the relationship Idemitsu and LG Display Co. formed last year to develop OLED technologies to make large area OLED displays that have extended lifetimes.

Idemitsu has been keen to diversify by seeking to strengthen its non-petroleum operations by expanding in the electronic materials segment. Investing in Global OLED Technology will help Idemitsu tap the intellectual property and strengthen cooperation with the LG group in developing and supplying electronic components. Idemitsu aims to generate 6.5 billion yen in sales of electronic materials in fiscal 2012, up 180% from fiscal 2009.

www.idemitsu.co.jp     www.lgdisplay.com

QD Vision has announced the company has purchased from Motorola a patent portfolio pertaining to the use of quantum dot technology in display and lighting products.

Included in the acquisition is U.S. Patent No. 5,442,254 of Jaskie, one of the earliest patents on the use of photoluminescent quantum dots in product applications, and pending applications relating to the use of quantum dots to a wide variety of display applications, including LCD backlight units.

Prior to this acquisition, QD Vision’s position in quantum dot intellectual property already included nine issued patents and more than 130 patents pending originating at MIT and QD Vision.

H.C. Starck Clevios GmbH, the world’s leading supplier of conductive polymers, is pleased to announce the establishment of a cross-licensing agreement with Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Mortsel, Belgium. This agreement resolves outstanding intellectual property disputes between the parties.

The agreement which covers PEDOT:PSS materials and formulations, provides a firm footing for the delivery of product and technological know-how to a number of industries including printed electronics, electroluminescence, touch screens and new technologies. By removing the uncertainty surrounding the intellectual property, the agreement will facilitate product development by both the companies and their customers.

The settlement is of particular and lasting interest as it relates to a number of patents, effective until beyond 2020, which will enable emerging technologies to be based on PEDOT:PSS.

According to the announcement this agreement justifies ongoing high investment in R&D, now unhindered by the rights of the other party.

For both Agfa-Gevaert N.V. and H.C. Starck Clevios GmbH the first steps into the technology of the electro conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS dates from when both companies were owned by Bayer AG. Bayer AG originally developed the material in 1988 and its first application was an antistatic in Agfa’s photographic film. For over 10 years the material has been marketed under the trade name of Orgacon™ from Agfa-Gevaert N.V. and Clevios™ (formerly Baytron) from H.C. Starck Clevios GmbH.

Dr. Aloys Eiling, CEO of H.C. Starck Clevios GmbH, said, “The settlement of intellectual property disputes between Agfa and H.C. Starck will ensure access to this cutting edge technology and allow the accelerated application of PEDOT:PSS into emerging technologies such as printed electronics.”

www.hcstarck.com     www.agfa.com

Cambrios Technologies Corp. has announced that they have licensed intellectual property covering commercially relevant methods of manufacturing metal nanostructures from the University of Washington. The patent US 7,585,349. assigned to the University of Washington and covering an invention made by Younan Xia and Yougang Sun has been licensed exclusively to Cambrios in its specific field of use.