LG-SK Domestic 'Battery War' LG Chem Wins‥SK "We Will Appeal" (Summary)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] In the first trial of the domestic civil lawsuit between SK Innovation and LG Chem over battery patents, the court ruled in favor of LG Chem.

The Civil Division 63-3 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Lee Jin-hwa, Lee Tae-woong, Park Tae-il) on the 27th dismissed SK Innovation's request to withdraw the lawsuit against LG Chem and rejected the claim for damages.

The court explained, "The plaintiffs' request to withdraw the lawsuit has no legally protected interest." Additionally, it added, "It cannot be considered that the 2014 agreement between SK Innovation and LG Chem included a clause not to file lawsuits regarding U.S. patents."

Regarding the lawsuit outcome, SK Innovation expressed deep regret and stated its intention to analyze the reasons for the judgment and appeal to a higher court. SK Innovation said, "We will verify what judgment was made regarding the relevance of the disputed patent KR310 - US517 in the ruling, analyze the judgment, and actively present the company's arguments during the appeal process." It also added, "Separately, SK Innovation hopes to cooperate for the development of the battery industry and both companies."

LG Chem stated, "We respect this judgment," and added, "We will sincerely engage in the ongoing five patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. against SK Innovation, including three SRS® U.S. patents and two cathode material U.S. patents."

In April last year, LG Chem filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that SK Innovation poached its personnel and infringed on trade secrets. The ITC is scheduled to conclude the case on October 5, but in February of this year, it already ruled early against SK Innovation, citing evidence destruction related to the theft of battery technology.

In October last year, while the lawsuit was ongoing in the U.S., SK Innovation filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court requesting withdrawal of the lawsuit and claiming damages.

SK Innovation argued that although the two companies agreed in 2014 not to dispute the 'separator patent (KR 775,310)' domestically and internationally, LG Chem broke the agreement by filing a lawsuit with the ITC over the same U.S. patent, and thus demanded withdrawal of the ITC lawsuit and payment of 1 billion KRW in damages.

On the other hand, LG Chem has maintained that the lawsuits filed with the ITC and in Korea are separate, citing principles such as 'patent independence' and 'territoriality.'

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