[zfactor]

i worked as a repair tech for years guys.. i have physically done circuit board layout and re work.. i have also worked on lcd's very often on the machines i used to repair at ibm.. this is not caused from a magnet as a magnet does not have any effect on the lcd panel itself. while it could on the invertor that powers the lcd it will not effect the panel in this way. a older reg tube tv yes this would cause a gausing effect in which case the set would have to be de-gaussed ...

there are 2 common reasons for this on a lcd panel which are heat and pressure.

normally heat would cause a darkening effect on the screen in other words a darker circle appearing almost like a shade of grey or black on the white backround

a lighter or brighter spot is usually from pressure. something pushing on the back of the lcd screen or a "bow" in the lcd screen like one side being tightend down more than the other side causing a slight bend in the panel itself.

if i can get my hands on one with this issue id love to take on apart and see what i can figure out. i have one here but it does not have this issue as of yet but i have almost not really even used it yet as ive been comparing it to the touch to decide which id rather have.

i highly doubt this is burn in. i have seen lcd's that displayed the same image for time periods longer than almost 12 hours at a time constantly with only a short break after that time.. due to changes in shift of the operators.. unless you have a icon in that area that NEVER turns off i highly doubt it is burn in..