Patent Suits against Korean Firms on the Rise
The Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency announced on Feb. 20 that non-practicing entities (NPEs) are filing an increasing number of lawsuits against South Korean enterprises.
“In the United States, the number of such lawsuits was 90 in 2019, 111 in 2020, and 130 in the first three quarters of last year,” it said, adding, “The 111 cases include 105 targeting large corporations and are divided into 58 in electrical and electronics, 44 in information and communications, and nine in equipment manufacturing.”
According to the agency, Samsung Electronics is the most frequently targeted South Korean enterprise, and it faced more than 300 patent lawsuits in the United States for the past five years. “Those include that Synergy IP filed in Texas in November last year, which is related to 10 wireless earphone and voice recognition patents,” it explained, continuing, “In addition, litigation is still ongoing between Samsung Electronics and Solas OLED, 5G IP Holdings, Bishop Display Tech, and so on.”
In general, a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States is a procedure that requires a couple of years. In most cases, defendants opt to pay royalties at the beginning of litigation to avoid risks such as litigation costs and a potential ban on sale. This is why the number of such lawsuits is continuing to increase.