‘Samsung Electronics Confidential Leak Patent Lawsuit’ Former Vice President An Seungho Denies Charges in First Trial

Former Samsung Electronics IP Center head (Vice President) Ahn Seung-ho, who was indicted for leaking Samsung Electronics' internal confidential documents and using them in a patent infringement lawsuit, denied the charges at his first trial, stating, "I generally deny the allegations."

Former Samsung Electronics Vice President (IP Center Head) Ahn Seung-ho, who is accused of conspiring with internal Samsung Electronics employees to leak important confidential information, is attending a pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on May 30.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 10th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 28 (Presiding Judge Han Dae-gyun) held the first hearing for Ahn, the former vice president, and his accomplices, who were indicted on charges of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (including disclosure of trade secrets).

On this day, the defendants, including former Vice President Ahn, generally expressed their intention to deny the charges. The side of former Samsung Electronics IP Center employee Lee stated regarding the allegation that he leaked final documents to former Vice President Ahn, "We generally acknowledge the facts, but we dispute the trade secret nature and the claim of unfair solicitation."

The side of former Samsung Display patent application group leader Lee, who was also indicted, said regarding the charge of breach of trust and acceptance of bribes, "There are parts where individual facts are acknowledged," but added, "The claim is that it was not an unfair solicitation, and we deny the allegation of leaking Samsung Display trade secrets."

According to the prosecution, former Vice President Ahn served as the inaugural head of Samsung Electronics' IP Center, overseeing IP management for about 10 years, during which he established Synergy IP, a patent management company (NPE). He is accused of receiving internal confidential patent analysis information from a Samsung Electronics IP Center employee with whom he had a close relationship and using it in a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics. Ahn partnered with the audio equipment company 'Tekiya' to file a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States, claiming that Samsung Electronics had unlawfully used patents related to audio recording devices.

The court requested, "The defense is asked to submit their opinions on the evidence and charges by July 31," and added, "The prosecution should prepare to conduct witness examinations in August based on this, through witness applications as soon as possible." The court set the next hearing date for August 13.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Eastern District Court of Texas dismissed the lawsuit filed by Synergy IP in May, which alleged that former Vice President Ahn had improperly leaked Samsung's internal information and used it in litigation. The U.S. court acknowledged, based on the investigation results of the Korean prosecution, that Ahn used Samsung Electronics' internal documents in the lawsuit and criticized the act as "dishonest, unfair, and abhorrent conduct contrary to the rule of law."