Samsung Display and two related companies lodged an appeal after the jury ruled in March that the technology giant infringed two Solas OLED screen display patents

Dublin-based Solas OLED has won the latest round in its ongoing intellectual property battle with Samsung after a Texas court (US) failed to overturn a federal jury verdict awarding the patents company a payout of nearly $77.7 million.

Samsung Display and two related companies lodged an appeal after the jury ruled in March that the technology giant infringed two Solas OLED screen display patents by using them in the displays of Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones.

But Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the US district court for the eastern district of Texas this week denied four motions taken by Samsung, rejecting its argument that the verdict be overturned or damages significantly reduced. He found that the jury had been permitted to conclude that a lump sum royalty was appropriate to compensate Solas OLED for the infringements.

Samsung may now appeal this decision to a higher court.

We’re happy that the judge ruled in our favour and maintained the jury verdict. We expect Samsung will appeal, but we fully expect we will prevail, said Aoife Butler, general counsel for Solas OLED.

After the March jury verdict, the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidated the asserted claims of one of the patents, a decision that Solas OLED is now appealing.

Samsung Display referred to the PTAB ruling in its Texas district court appeal and said it was new evidence that its belief in the invalidity of this patent, known as the 311 patent, was reasonable and that the jury should not have found its infringement of it to be wilful.

However, the judge did not find that the jury’s verdict on wilfulness in relation to this patent was against the great weight of the evidence. The PTAB’s decision was not evidence in existence at the time of the trial, his order noted.