Consumer electronics and mobile communications company LG Electronics Inc. (LGERF.PK) filed a lawsuit against U.S. electronics maker Whirlpool Corp. (WHR), alleging that the latter has infringed on one of its refrigerator patents, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The patent infringement lawsuit against Whirlpool, regarding a patent LG holds for the "ice-making system in the fresh food compartment", was filed by South Korea-based LG on Wednesday, October 7 in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, demanding compensation.
According to the report, LG also said the International Trade Commission, or ITC, has ruled in favor of the company in another patent dispute with Whirlpool, a home electronic appliance maker in the U.S. On Friday, ITC Judge Theodore Essex ruled that Whirlpool's patent for ice storage bins located in refrigerator doors isn't infringed by any of the accused LG's side-by-side or French-door models, the report said.
Unless modified by the ITC in an appeal, the decision reportedly will be finalized in about four months.
In January, Whirlpool had filed several complaints against LG with the ITC seeking a sales ban of LG refrigerators in the U.S., which it claims violated five Whirlpool patents. Whirlpool subsequently dropped four of the five complaints when LG submitted proof that Whirlpool's patents were invalid and countersued, and claimed that U.S. company instead infringed on LG patents.
The ITC ruled in February that LG had not violated the remaining Whirlpool patent for ice storage, which Whirlpool refused to accept, and the ITC in an unprecedented decision reconsidered the issue.
Young Ha Lee, chief executive of LG's home appliance unit, reportedly said in a statement, "LG has a superior technology in French-door refrigerators protected by its patents. LG will aggressively enforce its rights against any infringing products."
LGERF.PK last traded on February 6 at $0.445.
WHR closed Friday's regular trading session at $70.50, up $0.89 or 1.28%, on volume of 894 thousand shares. In the after-hours trading shares fell $0.89 or 1.26% to $69.61.
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