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Photo courtesy of LS Cable & System |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] A prolonged legal battle between LS Cable & System and Taihan Cable & Solution has officially come to an end, with LS Cable securing a final victory in a patent infringement lawsuit. The case, which spanned over five years and eight months, concluded after both parties chose not to appeal the appellate court’s ruling.
According to industry and legal sources on Tuesday, the 24th Civil Division of the Patent Court confirmed its ruling in favor of LS Cable in a damages lawsuit over a “joint kit for bus ducts” patent, brought against Taihan Cable.
On March 13, the court ruled that Taihan Cable had infringed LS Cable’s patent and raised the damages amount from the original 490 million won (approx. $360,000) awarded in the first trial to approximately 1.52 billion won (approx. $1.14 million).
In civil lawsuits, a ruling is finalized if neither party files an appeal within two weeks of receiving the court decision. As neither LS Cable nor Taihan Cable submitted an appeal during this period, the appellate court’s decision stands as final.
A Taihan Cable representative stated, “Although we believed there was room for interpretation in terms of the technical assessment and the calculation of damages, we have chosen to respect the court's ruling and will not pursue further legal action. We aim to focus on practical business operations rather than prolonging unnecessary conflict.”
An LS Cable spokesperson commented, “We will continue to respond firmly to any infringement of core technologies developed by our employees.”
The legal dispute began in August 2019, when LS Cable filed a lawsuit claiming that Taihan Cable’s joint kit for bus ducts violated its patent. A bus duct is a power distribution system used in buildings, and a joint kit is a key component that connects its parts.
In September 2022, the district court partially ruled in favor of LS Cable. Both companies appealed, disputing the damage amount and the extent of patent infringement.
Although the patent dispute is now resolved, tensions between the two firms are expected to continue, as a separate police investigation is still underway regarding the alleged leak of undersea cable factory design know-how.
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
