“In the case of patent infringement lawsuits, responding with counter lawsuits is a global trend when one is accused by competitors,” LG Chem said, adding it was necessary to “protect its legitimate right to intellectual property.”

According to LG Chem, there are five cases of patent infringement by SK Innovation regarding electronic vehicle battery technology. LG Chem claimed that SK Innovation has made illegal profits from the violations.

SK Innovation, for its part, said it would sternly deal with the accusations.

The two companies have been in a legal tit-for-tat since LG Chem accused SK Innovation of stealing business secrets about EV batteries in April. Earlier this month, SK Innovation lodged countersuits with the US court, saying that LG Chem infringed its EV battery patents.

(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)