BASF and Yumicoa Sign Mutual Patent Usage Agreement

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Global chemical company BASF and leading battery cathode material company Umicore will jointly use the patents they each hold.

On the 6th, BASF and Umicore announced that they have signed a non-exclusive mutual patent usage agreement to meet customers' technical demands based on their respective product technology expertise. Through this, they plan to combine a wide range of intellectual property (IP) protection technologies related to chemical composition, powder form, and chemical stability.

This agreement covers patents for a broad range of cathode active materials (CAM) and their precursors (PCAM), including chemicals such as Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC), Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum (NCA), Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-Aluminum (NMCA), and high-energy high-manganese Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (HE NCM) with high lithium content. Cathode active materials are a crucial factor determining the performance, safety, and cost of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and other applications.

With increasingly diverse and complex customer requirements at the battery cell and application stages, the technological capabilities of both companies for customized material development are expected to improve. Additionally, efforts to address key challenges faced by e-mobility such as energy density, safety, and cost, as well as to enhance transparency and reduce the risk of intellectual property disputes for battery cell manufacturers and customers, are expected to accelerate product development.

This agreement applies to more than 100 patents filed in Korea, Europe, the United States, China, and Japan, and both companies will have the right to exercise intellectual property rights against third parties in the future.