Who Owns QLED Technology?

You hear a lot about the newest TV display types, like OLED, LCD, and QLED these days. QLED in particular has been hailed as one of the most interesting new visual formats, but as so many manufacturers have begun using it, it's difficult to pin down which of them actually came up with it. As it turns out, Samsung owns the patent on QLED technology, but it permits other manufacturers to make use of it through an industry alliance.

Technically, Sony was the first electronics manufacturer to feature quantum dot display technology in its TVs, starting with the Bravia line-up in 2013. However, the trademark for QLED arrived in 2016 with Samsung and its self-manufactured TVs, namely with the development of quantum dot material that doesn't contain cadmium. Despite having a definitive edge over the competition in this area, and more so in the subsequent decade with visual standards rising, Samsung has opted to share its patent with other major TV manufacturers, such as Hisense and TCL.

Quantum dot display technology has been in development since 2001, with cadmium as the original linchpin material. However, this was problematic, as cadmium is environmentally unfriendly, so it wasn't used commercially. It wouldn't be until 2014 that Samsung figured out how to make quantum dot material without cadmium. 

Following this landmark development and its subsequent patent, Samsung would begin using the tech in its SUHD TVs. The company unveiled the first true QLED TV in 2017. In April of that same year, Samsung also entered into what would be known as the QLED Alliance alongside Chinese manufacturers Hisense and TCL. With it, these manufacturers can use the cadmium-free quantum dot display technology in their products. 

This alliance was spearheaded by the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce in an effort to increase the presence of QLED displays in the Chinese market, while ensuring all three companies have a competitive stake in the development of this tech going forward. Samsung is still going strong on this front, with loads of cool new features from its QLED TVs. The QLED Alliance still stands today, and presumably, both Hisense and TCL will continue to have access to any new QLED developments from Samsung.