LG Electronics has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Arçelik A.Ş and its German affiliates Beko Deutschland and Grundig Intermedia.
It has been reported that the lawsuit centres on the unauthorised use of LG’s freezer door-ice making technology (pictured left) featured in a number of the companies’ refrigerators sold in Europe.
LG said that it was left with no choice but to respond “aggressively” and take the matter to The Munich (Ger.) District Court I after negotiations with Arçelik, Beko and Grundig’s parent company, Koç Holding A.Ş., failed to make headway. The company’s home appliances are available mainly in Turkey and major European markets.
LG’s freezer door-ice making technology was originally developed by LG for its Side-by-Side refrigerator models and is included in a portfolio of more than 400 patents specifically relating to door-ice making technology.
The technology from LG utilises the storage space of the freezer to take up less room than a conventional ice maker and frees up more space for food storage.
In June of this year, LG licensed its patented door-ice making technology for French-door refrigerators to Haier-owned GE Appliances.
“We continue to proactively protect our intellectual property and will respond vigorously to the unauthorised use of our patented technologies,” said Jeon Saeng-gyu, Executive Vice President of LG’s Intellectual Property Centre.
“As international competition over innovation increases, it is more important than ever that we protect our investments in research and development.”
