South Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution Ltd (LGES) has won a patent infringement lawsuit filed in a German court against Chinese battery manufacturer Sunwoda Group.
A court in Munich ruled in favour of a case brought forward by Tulip Innovation Kft, a Hungarian licensing agent representing LGES and Panasonic Energy Company, stating that Sunwoda has infringed on two key patents related to lithium-ion battery separator technologies. The court granted a request for a preliminary injunction to ban the sale of Sunwoda batteries in Germany.
The companies affected by the lawsuit include China-based Sunwoda Electronic and Sunwoda Mobility Energy Technology, and their German subsidiaries Sunwoda Europe and Sunwoda Electric Vehicle Battery Germany.
Tulip Innovation confirmed that the court has ordered Sunwoda's German subsidiaries to “recall and destroy all remaining infringing batteries in their direct or indirect possession, pay damages to Tulip in principle, and provide detailed accounting records to facilitate damage assessment.
Tulip claimed the court’s rulings “appear” to be the first injunctions filed in Germany in relation to EV batteries, adding that “they show that there is no ‘free riding’ for battery manufacturers on the technology invented by the innovation leaders in the field, including LG Energy Solution and Panasonic Energy.”
Andreas von Falck, a partner in the Hogan Lovells law firm, said in a statement: “We are very pleased with the court’s decision and are confident that the decision will stand on appeal.”
