US ITC Rules Against SK Innovation in Battery Lawsuit Phase 1... SK Innovation to Pursue Reconsideration Process (Summary)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] On the 14th (local time), the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a 'Default Judgment' against SK Innovation in the trade secret infringement lawsuit filed by LG Chem concerning secondary batteries. In response, SK Innovation expressed regret that its claims were not sufficiently accepted by the ITC's default judgment and announced that it would proceed with an appeal process. This ruling is a preliminary decision, and the ITC Commission is scheduled to make a final determination in October.

LG Chem stated on the 16th that the ITC issued a default judgment against SK Innovation during the process before and after the trade secret infringement lawsuit, effectively making a preliminary decision. As a result, the originally scheduled procedures such as the 'Hearing' in early March have been bypassed, leaving only the ITC Commission's 'Final Determination' by October 5.

Previously, in November of last year, LG Chem requested the ITC to issue a default judgment after discovering evidence destruction circumstances, such as SK Innovation deleting materials that could serve as evidence following the trade secret infringement accusation.

An LG Chem official emphasized, "We deeply regret SK Innovation's actions, and since our claims have been recognized as is through legal sanctions against SK Innovation, we will actively and sincerely engage in the remaining litigation procedures until the end."

In response, SK Innovation immediately held an emergency meeting. After about four hours of discussion, they stated, "We need to receive the official decision document from the ITC to understand the specific reasons for the decision, but we regret that SK Innovation's claims were not sufficiently accepted."

They further explained, "After reviewing the decision document, we will proceed with the legally prescribed appeal process."

They added, "We will do our utmost to enhance customer value and advance the (electric vehicle battery) industry," and explained, "As we have maintained, LG Chem is a competitor in good faith, but we consider them a partner with whom we must cooperate for the development of the industry ecosystem, and this stance will not change going forward."

Meanwhile, once the ITC Commission makes a final determination, an import ban will take effect in the U.S. on SK Innovation’s battery cells, modules, packs, and related parts and materials that infringe on LG Chem’s secondary battery trade secrets.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.