Universal Display acquires BASF's OLED IP for €87 million

Largely consisting of phosphorescent materials and technologies, BASF’s OLED portfolio has an average lifetime of 10 years

28 Jun 2016 | Editor

Universal Display Corp. has announced that they have acquired the OLED Intellectual Property (IP) assets of BASF SE. The purchase will be conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiary UDC Ireland Ltd.

The BASF IP represents 15 years of research and development, the assets include over 500 issued and pending patents around the world, in 86 patent families. Largely consisting of phosphorescent materials and technologies, BASF’s OLED portfolio has an average lifetime of 10 years. The purchase price for the acquisition is approximately €87 million (US$96.5 million)

BASF ceased its OLED research activities at the end of 2015 after a careful strategic examination. With the sale of the OLED IP assets, the withdrawal is finalised.

Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display, said, "We are pleased to enhance our extensive key patents in phosphorescent materials with BASF’s complementary OLED IP portfolio." Steven added, "One of our key objectives is to develop and deliver an all-phosphorescent emissive stack. We believe that this acquisition will help further these research efforts, principally in the development of commercial blue emissive systems. As a leading player in the OLED ecosystem with 20+ years of know-how and experience in emissive materials and technologies, we believe that we are best positioned to incorporate and leverage BASF’s IP assets into our existing broad and robust portfolio of 3,600+ issued and pending patents worldwide. We expect this acquisition to strengthen our commercial development pipeline of new and next-generation OLED systems and bring additional value to our customers and shareholders."

Felix Goerth, Director Organic Electronics at BASF New Business, said, "We are pleased that UDC will take forward the development and marketing of our OLED materials and technologies. We believe our IP and know-how fits perfectly into UDC's patent portfolio and competencies and that UDC will be able to generate the most value for the OLED industry out of these combined phosphorescent technologies."

Editor's Note: See In Aug 2012 UDC acquired 1,200 OLED patents from FujiFilm for US$ 105 million. This represents U$ 87,500 per patent vs US$ 197,000 per patent for the BASF purchase.

Research and Investment

Since its inception in 1994, Universal Display has invested close to US$400 million in research and development to advance the company from a start-up to a leading player in the global OLED ecosystem. The Company continues to invest heavily in a number of strategic programs and is working with customers on developmental and commercial phosphorescent materials and OLED technologies.

Universal Display continues to make progress on new and next-generation red, green, yellow and blue emitters and hosts, as well as expanding its core competencies of phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLED) and other OLED technologies including OLED manufacturing processes and equipment. UDC expects the acquisition of BASF's IP assets to further fortify its expansive global OLED intellectual property framework.

Source: Universal Display

About Universal Display Corp

Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED) is a leader in developing and delivering state-of-the-art, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies, materials and services to the display and lighting industries. Founded in 1994, the Company currently owns or has exclusive, co-exclusive or sole license rights with respect to more than 4,100 issued and pending patents worldwide. Universal Display licenses its proprietary technologies, including its breakthrough high-efficiency UniversalPHOLED® phosphorescent OLED technology that can enable the development of low power and eco-friendly displays and white lighting. The Company also develops and offers high-quality, state-of-the-art UniversalPHOLED materials that are recognized as key ingredients in the fabrication of OLEDs with peak performance. In addition, Universal Display delivers innovative and customized solutions to its clients and partners through technology transfer, collaborative technology development and on-site training.

Based in Ewing, New Jersey, with international offices in Ireland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, Universal Display works and partners with a network of world-class organizations, including Princeton University, the University of Southern California, the University of Michigan, and PPG Industries, Inc. The Company has also established relationships with companies such as AU Optronics Corporation, BOE Technology, DuPont Displays, Inc., Innolux Corporation, Kaneka Corporation, Konica Minolta Technology Center, Inc., LG Display Co., Ltd., Lumiotec, Inc., OLEDWorks LLC, OSRAM, Pioneer Corporation, Samsung Display Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd. and Tohoku Pioneer Corporation.

Source: Universal Display Corp

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).

Source: BASF