TSE Wins Patent Lawsuit After 5 Years: "Actively Exercising Patent Rights"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] TSE, a semiconductor test component solution specialist and a member of the World Class Enterprise Association, announced on the 24th that it won a patent lawsuit filed by a competitor over the past five years.

TSE stated, "On the 20th of last month, the 61st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in the first trial of the patent infringement injunction and damages claim lawsuit filed by domestic company I against TSE regarding the 'test socket with columnar particles' patent, that TSE did not infringe on I's patent."

The court ruled, "TSE's semiconductor test socket differs from the patent held by I in the arrangement of conductive particles on the conductive part," and "TSE's product does not constitute infringement."

Company I filed a scope of rights confirmation trial at the Patent Court in May 2015 regarding the 'through-hole particles' patent after TSE entered the semiconductor test silicon rubber socket market with a socket applying U-docking particles. When the decision in December of the same year stated 'does not fall within the scope of rights,' I filed this lawsuit in April 2016 at the Seoul Central District Court with the 'test socket with columnar particles' patent and four other patents.

Of the other four patents filed by I, three were confirmed invalid, and one was withdrawn by I itself.

A TSE official said, "TSE respects the legitimate intellectual property rights of others, but will respond firmly to acts that hinder fair competition," adding, "To protect the company's core product business and maximize shareholder value, we plan to actively exercise rights on our patents."

TSE and its subsidiaries have filed over 150 patents related to test sockets following this patent dispute. Among them, more than 110 have been registered.

The official said, "In overcoming the long-lasting patent dispute, TSE focused all its capabilities on developing innovative technology beyond existing technology," adding, "As a result, we developed the Eltune socket capable of accurately testing ultra-high-speed SoC semiconductors and have grown into a globally competitive test socket company by supplying to global semiconductor companies."