EWING — Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED) announced Thursday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a portfolio of OLED patent assets from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in a move aimed at expanding its intellectual property footprint in high-efficiency emissive device structures.
The portfolio includes more than 300 issued and pending patents across 110 unique patent families, with an average remaining life of approximately 10 years. The acquisition is expected to enhance Universal Display’s (UDC) coverage of key OLED building blocks and aligns with Merck KGaA’s strategy to focus on charge transport and triplet host materials.
“We are pleased to continue to enhance our OLED patent portfolio, a move that is poised to bolster UDC’s OLED technology roadmap and further broaden the addressable scope of our innovation engine,” said Steven V. Abramson, president and CEO of Universal Display.
Johannes Canisius, general manager of the OLED business at Merck KGaA, said the transaction marks a milestone in the company’s innovation pipeline. “Transferring this IP to UDC underscores our commitment to advancing OLED technology to new levels of performance,” he said.
The transaction will be executed between UDC Ireland Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Display, and Merck Electronics KGaA. Closing is expected in January 2026, subject to customary conditions.
Universal Display, founded in 1994, holds more than 6,500 issued and pending patents globally and is known for its proprietary UniversalPHOLED® technology, which enables energy-efficient OLED displays and lighting.
Merck KGaA, headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics, with 2024 sales totaling €21.2 billion in 65 countries.