BBQ Loses 100 Billion Won Trade Secret Infringement Lawsuit Against bhc

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Daehyun Kim] Chicken franchise Genesis BBQ has lost a lawsuit seeking damages in the billions of won for trade secret infringement against its competitor bhc.

The Civil Division 61 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ohseok Kwon) ruled on the afternoon of the 29th that the plaintiff BBQ lost the lawsuit filed against bhc and others seeking an injunction against trade secret infringement. The court stated, "Based on the plaintiff's claims and submitted evidence alone, it cannot be considered that the legal requirements for trade secrets have been met," and added, "There is also insufficient proof of the elements required to establish an unlawful act, making it difficult to recognize liability for damages."

BBQ filed the lawsuit in November 2018, alleging that bhc had illegally accessed its internal computer network to steal management secrets, causing damage to product development and business operations. At the time, BBQ claimed the estimated damages amounted to 700 billion won but initially sought 100.1 billion won in the lawsuit. In response, bhc countered, stating, "BBQ is repeatedly filing unreasonable lawsuits without any evidence," and after more than three years of proceedings, the court ruled in favor of bhc.

BBQ sold its former subsidiary bhc to a U.S.-based private equity fund in 2013 and has since been engaged in various legal disputes involving accusations and lawsuits. To date, 18 civil and criminal cases have been filed in court and are awaiting judgment. It is reported that BBQ has not won any of these cases.

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