According to South Korean media reports, Samsung Electro-Mechanics may obtain patent license from Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. for automotive MLCCs.
According to the report, Samsung and Murata have been cross-licensing partners for the past ten years, and Samsung plans to renew the cross-licensing contract with Murata as early as 2020 or in the first quarter of 2021.
According to the agreement, Samsung and Murata have never paid each other's patent license fees, but this time may be different, because Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to obtain the automotive-grade MLCC patent rights owned by Murata.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics aims to become the world's second-largest automotive MLCC supplier by 2022. At present, Japanese companies such as Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., TDK and Taiyo Yuden occupy a dominant position in the automotive-grade MLCC market, and Samsung's market share is less than 10%.
