SK Innovation Co., a major electric vehicle (EV) battery maker in South Korea, said Friday it will file lawsuits against its local rival LG Chem Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc. in the United States for patent infringement over EV battery technology.
SK Innovation said it plans to file lawsuits against LG Chem and its U.S. subsidiary, LG Chem Michigan Inc., with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. federal court, claiming that the two companies infringed on its patents in lithium-ion batteries.
SK Innovation will also file a lawsuit against LG Electronics for the same reason. LG Electronics sells battery modules and packs using LG Chem's battery cells, the company said.
The country's top oil refiner's move came after LG Chem filed a pair of lawsuits with the USITC and a U.S. District Court of Delaware in April, requesting an embargo on importing EV battery-related products from SK Innovation, while demanding compensation for the piracy of trade secrets.
In June, SK Innovation filed a damage suit against LG Chem with a South Korean court claiming that the latter's suit is hurting its EV battery business.
"We've decided to file lawsuits to protect our intellectual properties and core technologies regardless of LG Chem's suit in April," Yoon Ye-sun, chief of SK Innovation's battery business division, said.
SK Innovation said it will reveal details of LG Chem's infringement once it submits the lawsuits in the near future.
Despite taking legal action, SK Innovation said it is willing to speak with LG Chem out of court and settle the problem.
LG Chem later said it may file a counter suit against SK Innovation on patent infringement if the company continues to pursue legal action.
"We have yet to receive any offer from SK Innovation for a meeting," LG Chem said. "We'll also make our all-out efforts to protect our core technologies and intellectual properties that we've amassed over 30 years." (Yonhap)