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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] LG Chem has escalated its legal offensive against Ronbay Technology, China’s largest cathode material producer, by seeking a court injunction to halt alleged patent infringement. The move comes after LG Chem prevailed in a key patent invalidation challenge filed by Ronbay’s Korean subsidiary.
According to industry sources on Tuesday, LG Chem filed an application for a preliminary injunction to prohibit patent infringement on July 16 against JaeSe Energy, Ronbay’s South Korean unit established in 2013. JaeSe Energy is engaged in the production of nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cathode materials.
LG Chem had earlier filed a patent infringement lawsuit in August 2024, claiming that cathode materials produced and sold by JaeSe Energy and Ronbay infringed multiple LG Chem patents. The case is currently being heard by the Seoul Central District Court. In response, JaeSe Energy countered by filing a patent invalidation petition, arguing that its technology was independently developed.
However, the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board under the Korean Intellectual Property Office rejected the invalidation request, affirming the validity of LG Chem’s patents. The ruling has strengthened LG Chem’s position in the ongoing infringement litigation.
If the court grants LG Chem’s injunction request, JaeSe Energy would be immediately barred from manufacturing, selling, and distributing the products deemed to infringe LG Chem’s patents. Industry analysts warn that such a decision could lead to a complete shutdown of JaeSe Energy’s cathode production lines in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, which have an annual capacity of approximately 70,000 tons.
That volume is enough to supply cathode materials for roughly 780,000 pure electric vehicles equipped with 60-kWh batteries, raising concerns that the ruling could have significant repercussions for both domestic and global cathode material supply chains.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
