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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Coway, a leading best-life solutions company, secured a final victory at the Supreme Court in its patent infringement lawsuit against ChungHo Nais concerning ice water purifier technology, bringing an end to an 11-year legal battle.
On May 15, industry sources reported that the Supreme Court’s 3rd Division upheld the appellate court’s ruling that Coway’s product did not infringe upon ChungHo Nais’s patent rights, dismissing ChungHo Nais’s claims for an injunction and damages.
The lawsuit originated in 2014 when ChungHo Nais filed suit against Coway, alleging infringement of its ice water purifier patent technology and seeking both an injunction and damages.
In February 2015, the district court ruled in favor of ChungHo Nais, ordering Coway to pay KRW 10 billion in damages.
However, in July 2022, the appellate court overturned the initial ruling, determining that the technology applied in Coway’s product differed from ChungHo Nais’s patent, and dismissed the infringement claims. Approximately three years later, the Supreme Court affirmed the appellate decision, rejecting ChungHo Nais’s final appeal.
The appellate court found key differences in the cooling and ice-making methods of the two companies. ChungHo Nais’s patent centered on a method of making ice directly from pre-cooled water, whereas Coway’s product does not use pre-cooled water for ice-making. The Supreme Court concurred with this reasoning.
Thus, after 11 years and one month of litigation, the patent dispute over ice water purifiers between the two companies concluded with Coway’s definitive legal win.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
