Sanyo, Kodak liquidate OLED venture

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are a rapidly growing market, but not everyone is staying for the long haul. Sanyo and Kodak will fold the OLED joint venture, SK Display, which kicked off in 2001. OLEDs can be used to create screens for phones and digital cameras. Samsung has even made a large OLED prototype TV. Kodak even put an OLED screen in a camera.

The material has an advantage over standard LCDs in that backlighting is not required, thus reducing energy consumption. Kodak will first transfer its interest in the venture to Sanyo and then Sanyo will liquidate it. The intellectual property generated by SK Displays, however, will continue to exist and Kodak will continue to try to license it to other manufacturers.