GLS Capital, one of the world’s largest private investment firms focused on litigation finance, announced today its financial partnership with Nanoco Technologies in its patent litigation against Samsung Electronics Co. in U.S. District Court and related proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Germany and China.
Shortly before the start of trial in the U.S. District Court case, the parties agreed to stay the proceedings to finalize a settlement agreement. Samsung has now agreed to pay $150 million to settle the litigation in a deal called “transformative” by Nanoco that includes a license agreement and the transfer of certain patents.”
Nanoco (LSE: NANO) is a pioneer and world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free nanoparticles known as quantum dots. Nanoco alleged that Samsung’s QLED televisions infringe several fundamental Nanoco patents related to the synthesis and use of quantum dots. The Nanoco v. Samsung dispute also included the successful defense of five Inter Partes Review petitions in the USPTO, in which all challenged patent claims were upheld. On January 6, 2023, Nanoco announced that a term sheet for settlement of the litigation had been agreed to.
Adam Gill, Managing Director at GLS Capital, stated: “We were proud to support Nanoco in obtaining the recognition and compensation they deserve for their fundamental inventions. Nanoco is a true pioneer in its field. Its foundational technology allows quantum dots to be made without the use of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, enabling displays like Samsung’s QLED televisions to be brighter, more brilliant and environmentally friendly.”
Nanoco CEO Brian Tenner said: “Litigation finance allowed us to pursue our claims on equal footing against a much larger adversary. We chose GLS Capital because of their reputation not only as intellectual property subject matter experts, but also as reliable and trustworthy partners. We are grateful for their assistance throughout the course of the litigation, which we believe added substantial value.”
About Nanoco Group PLC: Nanoco is a pioneer and world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other specific nanomaterials emanating from its technology platform. Nanoco’s CFQD® quantum dots are free of cadmium and other toxic heavy metals and can be tuned to emit light at different wavelengths across the visible and infrared spectrum, rendering them useful for a wide range of applications including displays, lighting and biological imaging.
About GLS Capital: GLS Capital is a commercial litigation finance firm with more than $500 million under management. Founded by litigation finance industry veterans, GLS focuses on investments in complex commercial litigation and arbitration, patent infringement litigation, and life sciences litigation. GLS prides itself on decision-making speed and the pace of its investment process. Armed with a broad investment mandate and fully discretionary capital, all investment decisions are made internally by the GLS investment committee, which provides certainty and transparency for counterparties throughout the investment lifecycle. More information about GLS Capital can be found at www.glscap.com.
