E Ink, Sony Form Joint Venture to Commercialize Products With ‘ePaper’ Displays

E Ink and Sony Semiconductor Solutions formed a joint venture to develop, produce, sell and license products that use electronic paper displays, the companies said in a Monday announcement. The relationship between E Ink and Sony dates back to 2004, when Sony shipped the first CE application of Philips’ electronic paper display technology in an e-reader based on E Ink’s electronic ink know-how (see 0403290117). The joint venture will “leverage” E Ink’s development and manufacturing technology for electronic paper displays and Sony’s expertise in product development and marketing, the companies said: “By doing so, it will aim to create new electronic paper display products and systems, and grow the market of ePaper-based solutions.”