Court Orders Samsung SDI to Pay 100 Million Won to Researcher Contributing to Lithium Battery Invention

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] A researcher who left Samsung SDI 20 years ago will receive 100 million KRW in compensation and delayed damages through a lawsuit for contributing to the invention of lithium-ion polymer batteries.

According to the legal community on the 4th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Agreement Division 63-3 (Presiding Judges Lee Jinhwa, Lee Taewoong, Park Taeil) ruled partially in favor of former Samsung SDI employee Mr. A in a lawsuit claiming compensation for a work-related invention against the company, ordering "Samsung SDI to pay Mr. A 53.16 million KRW in compensation and delayed damages." Considering a 5% annual delayed damage interest from 2000, when Samsung SDI acquired the rights to the invention from Mr. A, until the ruling was delivered, the total amount payable to Mr. A reaches approximately 100 million KRW.

Mr. A, who joined the company in 1995, was in charge of developing lithium-ion polymer batteries and contributed to Samsung SDI filing two domestic patents. This technology was used by Samsung SDI to mass-produce and sell lithium-ion polymer batteries starting in October 2000.

However, Mr. A resigned in July 2000, before Samsung SDI began mass production of the product, and filed a lawsuit in 2017 demanding the company pay compensation for profits gained from the invention.

The key issues in the trial were the extent of profits Samsung SDI gained from Mr. A’s invention and how much Mr. A contributed to the invention. Mr. A claimed that the entire sales revenue of approximately 7 trillion KRW from Samsung SDI’s lithium-ion polymer batteries was profit derived from his invention, and that his contribution rate was 60%, making a total of 8.8 billion KRW appropriate as work-related invention compensation.

On the other hand, Samsung SDI argued that the profits gained from the invention were limited to 600 billion KRW, calculated as sales revenue minus selling and administrative expenses in countries where the patent was registered, and that Mr. A’s contribution rate was only 1%, making 310,000 KRW appropriate as compensation.

However, the court ruled in favor of Mr. A, stating, "Samsung SDI’s sales of lithium-ion polymer batteries in countries where the patent was not registered can also be considered as utilizing the invention, and the related sales revenue has a causal relationship with the invention." The court also recognized a 50% contribution rate for Mr. A, considering that there were co-developers during the research of the technology, and judged that approximately 50 million KRW was appropriate compensation after applying monopoly right contribution rates.

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