Patent infringement lawsuit against W-SCOPE Corporation, etc. –
Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board confirming validity of Asahi Kasei’s Korean patent relating to a separator for lithium ion secondary batteries
Düsseldorf, January 14, 2021 – On December 2, 2020, the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (hereinafter “Korean IPTAB”) issued a decision to dismiss a patent invalidation petition by W-SCOPE KOREA CO., LTD. and confirmed the validity of Asahi Kasei’s Korean patent (Patent No. 10-0977345, hereinafter “Asahi Kasei’s patent”) relating to a separator for lithium-ion secondary batteries.
Details of the lawsuit
On January 29, 2020, Asahi Kasei filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court against W-SCOPE Corporation (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku Tokyo) and its subsidiary, W-SCOPE KOREA CO., LTD. (hereinafter “W-SCOPE Corporation, etc.”), which manufacture and sell separators for lithium ion secondary battery, as joint defendants.
The lawsuit claims infringement of Asahi Kasei’s patent. It seeks an injunction restraining W-SCOPE Corporation, etc., from manufacturing and selling their polyolefin microporous membrane products (including separator products for lithium ion secondary battery with product names such as “SB12D,” “SB16D,” “single-layer W-scope,” etc.) in Korea, and compensation for damages.
After Asahi Kasei filed the lawsuit, one of the defendants, W-SCOPE KOREA CO., LTD., filed a patent invalidation petition with the Korean IPTAB seeking the invalidation of Asahi Kasei’s patent on March 11, 2020. After sufficiently examining the arguments of both parties, the Korean IPTAB issued a decision to dismiss the invalidation petition and confirmed the validation of Asahi Kasei’s patent.
Asahi Kasei will pay close attention to issues concerning intellectual property rights, and if deemed necessary, take specific measures proactively against any infringement.
About the Asahi Kasei Corporation
Asahi Kasei Corporation is a globally active diversified technology company with operations in the Material, Homes, and Health Care business. The Material division encompasses fibers & textiles, petrochemicals, performance polymers, performance materials, consumables, battery separators, and electronic devices. The Homes division provides housing and construction materials to the Japanese market. The Health Care division includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and acute critical care devices and systems.
With more than 40,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries and achieved sales of 17.6 billion euros (2,151.6 billion yen) in the fiscal year 2019 (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020).
Asahi Kasei is “Creating for Tomorrow” with all operations sharing a common mission of contributing to life and living for people around the world.
For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com and asahi-kasei.eu.