LG Energy Solution Wins Battery Patent Lawsuit Against Chinese Firm in Germany: "Separator Technology Infringement"

Court Rules "Sunwoda Infringed LG Energy Solution's Separator Technology"
Sales Ban Imposed on Sunwoda Batteries in Germany

LG Energy Solution has won a patent lawsuit in Germany against Chinese battery manufacturer Sunwoda Group, with the court recognizing the infringement of its separator technology.

Panoramic view of LG Energy Solution's plant in Wroclaw, Poland. Provided by LG Energy Solution

On May 29, LG Energy Solution announced that the Munich District Court in Germany had ruled in its favor regarding the injunction request to ban the sale of batteries by Sunwoda. The court found that Sunwoda had infringed on two of LG Energy Solution's separator technologies and decided to ban the sale of Sunwoda batteries using these technologies within Germany.

Additionally, the court ordered Sunwoda to retrieve and dispose of the remaining batteries and to pay damages to Tulip Innovation, a Hungarian patent management company (NPE) representing LG Energy Solution.

Tulip stated, "This ruling marks the first injunction related to automotive batteries in Germany," and explained, "It demonstrates that battery manufacturers cannot free-ride on technologies invented by innovation leaders in this field, such as LG Energy Solution."

Meanwhile, Sunwoda has also filed a lawsuit in Germany to invalidate the relevant patents.

As of last year, Sunwoda ranked tenth in the global battery market share and has been rapidly growing, focusing on small lithium-ion batteries and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for electric vehicles.

LG Energy Solution, which holds the largest number of patents among secondary battery companies worldwide, has previously announced its policy to respond strongly to unauthorized use of its patents through lawsuits and warnings. Of the patents held by LG Energy Solution, about 1,000 are considered "strategic patents" that competitors are infringing upon or are expected to infringe upon, and so far, 580 cases of confirmed infringement by competitors have been identified.

In May last year, Tulip launched a patent licensing program integrating lithium-ion battery technology patents from LG Energy Solution and Panasonic, and is handling licensing negotiations and lawsuits for both companies.