Universal Display to Acquire Merck’s OLED Emissive IP Portfolio in Strategic Expansion
UDC will buy over 300 issued and pending OLED patents from Merck KGaA to strengthen coverage of high‑efficiency emissive device structures, complementing its UniversalPHOLED platform and aligning Merck’s focus on transport and triplet host materials, with closing expected in January 2026.
-Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED) (UDC), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OLED patent assets from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company. This portfolio, which has an average remaining lifetime of approximately 10 years, includes more than 300 issued and pending patents worldwide, covering more than 110 unique patent families in the field of advanced OLED emissive device structures and related material components. The acquisition is expected to expand UDC’s patent coverage across key emissive building blocks that enable high‑efficiency OLED devices and aligns with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s strategy to focus on charge transport and triplet host materials, boosting the performance of components surrounding the emissive materials in these devices.
“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 Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display Corporation. “These assets from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany are expected to complement our world‑class R&D and materials discovery and design platforms as we continue to support the growing OLED market.”
“This IP package represents a significant milestone in our innovation pipeline, integrating multiple next-generation inventions related to emissive layer technology,” said Johannes Canisius, General Manager of the OLED business at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Transferring this IP to UDC underscores our commitment to advancing OLED technology to new levels of performance and ensuring our innovations are maximized in value and application. This strategic move also enables us to focus fully on our core expertise in transport and host materials. We are excited to deepen our partnership with UDC and are confident that this collaboration will drive the OLED industry forward and unlock new possibilities for the technology as a whole.”
Transaction Details
The transaction will be executed between UDC Ireland Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation, and Merck Electronics KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The closing is expected in January 2026, subject to customary conditions.
