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The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled in favor of SK Innovation in an electric vehicle battery patent infringement suit filed by rival LG Energy Solution, a setback to the latter that had hoped to take full advantage from its win over the former in a trade secret dispute.
In an initial determination, the ITC said on
Wednesday that SK Innovation did not infringe LG Energy Solution’s
patents related to EV batteries such as battery separators.
A final ruling is due to out in August.
LG
Energy Solution, a spinoff from LG Chem, filed the lawsuit with ITC in
September 2019, claiming that SK Innovation infringed its four patents
related to EV battery separators, including three U.S. patents and one
U.S. patent for cathode materials.
The latest patent infringement
case is separate from a dispute between the two over battery trade
secrets in which the ITC in its final decision favored LG Energy
Solution and gave SK Innovation a 10-year ban on imports, production,
and sales of lithium-ion batteries in the U.S.
The ruling gave a
big blow to SK Innovation that has been eying the U.S. market for
business expansion in the green sector. The company is building two EV
battery plants in Georgia in a large-scale investment project that can
create many jobs there.
SK Innovation had been struggling to
narrow down differences in compensation demanded by LG Energy Solution
to resolve their dispute.
The latest ruling that favors SK
Innovation may affect its ongoing negotiations with LG Energy Solution
over their settlement. LG Energy Solution said that it will monitor and
wait for a while until a final decision will be made.
On
Thursday, shares of SK Innovation grew 10.27 percent to end at 241,500
won ($213.30) and LG Chem 1.74 percent higher at 819,000 won.
Source:pulsenews.co.kr
Editor:IPRdaily-Vapor