Supreme Court: "KakaoVX Infringed on Golfzon Patent"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Golfzon in a patent technology dispute over screen golf. Previously, Golfzon filed a lawsuit claiming that Kakao VX and SGM infringed on its patented technology.

On the 5th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Noh Jeonghee) announced that it overturned the lower court's ruling in the patent infringement injunction appeal filed by Golfzon against Kakao VX and SGM, and remanded the case to the Patent Court.

Golfzon, the patent holder of the golf simulation device, filed a lawsuit in May 2016 demanding the disposal of related equipment and 9.5 billion KRW in damages, claiming that Kakao VX infringed on its technology that adjusts shot distance by reflecting environmental factors such as the terrain of the golf course. Kakao VX is a subsidiary of Kakao and operates the Friends Golf and Friends Academy businesses, while SGM runs the screen golf business under the name SG Golf.

The first trial accepted Golfzon's claims and ordered Kakao VX and SGM to recall and dispose of production facilities related to the infringing products, and to compensate Golfzon approximately 2.5 billion KRW and 1.4 billion KRW respectively.

The second trial had a different judgment. It dismissed the case, stating that Kakao VX's program adjusts the shot distance by considering both terrain and mat conditions only when hitting on the fairway mat, and does not adjust the distance based on terrain conditions when hitting on the trouble mat, thus differing from Golfzon's technology.

However, the Supreme Court ruled, like the first trial, that Golfzon's patent pertains to technology that adjusts shot distance by considering both terrain and mat conditions. In particular, regarding the technologies of the two companies, the court stated, "It is reasonable to view that the invention of Golfzon is infringed as the shot distance is adjusted by considering both terrain and mat conditions," thereby siding with Golfzon.

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