The Supreme Court has upheld LG Chem's (051910.KS) patent rights related to blue host material, a core material for organic light-emitting diodes (OLED).
According to legal circles Wednesday, the second division of the Supreme Court (presiding Justice Eom Sang-pil) dismissed on May 14 the appeal filed by SFC against LG Chem in a patent lawsuit, finalizing the lower court ruling that had sided with LG Chem.
SFC is a company specializing in OLED materials, a joint venture between Japan's Hodogaya Chemical and Samsung Display. In 2019, SFC filed a petition with the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board, arguing that LG Chem's patent related to OLED blue host material was invalid.
The patent held by LG Chem, titled "deuterated compounds for electronic applications," is an invention concerning anthracene-based compounds used as hosts for blue fluorescent emission materials. By deuterating these compounds, the invention significantly improved device lifespan characteristics while maintaining emission efficiency.
In 2022, the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board dismissed SFC's petition and sided with LG Chem. SFC filed a lawsuit with the court seeking to cancel the board's ruling, but the Patent Court reached the same conclusion.
The Supreme Court also maintained the lower court's ruling. The court found that "the invention in this case satisfies the specification requirements, is not substantially identical to the prior-filed invention, and its inventive step is not denied."
Separately, LG Chem filed a civil suit against SFC in 2024 seeking hundreds of billions of won in damages along with an injunction against the production and sale of the disputed products. A first-instance trial is underway at the Seoul Central District Court.
