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Six takeaways from the $1.8 billion finale to the LG Energy Solutions - SK Innovation IP dispute

As political wrangling and potential for commercial fallout mounted, the two Korean battery suppliers reached an eleventh-hour settlement deal yesterday

9 Apr 2021

Post-smartphones, LG is actively exploring patent sales

An affiliate of the South Korean company recently sold over 100 assets to an NPE, while other parts of the portfolio are reportedly being shopped by brokers

8 Apr 2021

Netlist uses IP leverage for $40 million licence with SK hynix and a key supply agreement

On top of a patent deal, the companies agree a purchase deal covering up to $600 million in products from the Korean business

Latest

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24 Mar 2021

Korean royalty gap widens as tech giants pay more patent fees

Country’s central bank says conglomerates’ patent licensing obligations drove big swing in national balance of IP payments Read more

11 Mar 2021

Nokia secures another litigation-free, royalty-bearing, licensing deal with Samsung

Agreement covers video standards and comes almost 18 months after the companies announced expansion of wireless accord Read more

10 Mar 2021

Assertions show how LG’s patent portfolio can support a post-handset business

LG Electronics earned a German SEP infringement win against TCL shortly after settling US litigation with Hisense. Both are important Chinese competitors in the TV space Read more

9 Mar 2021

Top Samsung licensing executive joins Marconi

Licensing company's latest blockbuster hire is Hosik Jang, a 35-year veteran of Samsung Electronics Read more

Designs

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21 Nov 2020

RCEP is a leap for China but a small step for IP

World’s largest trade pact is not a show-stopper when it comes to IP, but it will bring changes to ASEAN and clouds US ability to set regional agenda Read more

11 Dec 2019

China’s top IP court delivers novel patent ruling as first term nears end

The Supreme People’s Court IP Tribunal gave the final word on both validity and infringement in a case involving LG Electronics – a first in China’s bifurcated system Read more

31 Oct 2019

IAM honours Asia’s IP leaders

The winners of our annual Asia IP Elite awards for the teams, deal and individual of the year were revealed before a sold-out crowd at IPBC Asia 2019 Read more

25 Sep 2019

South Korean president uses 2 millionth patent grant to call for tech independence

Moon Jae-in (centre) made the comments amid an international dispute with Japan. He also said IP can help prevent conglomerates from seizing technology from smaller firms Read more

Finance

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8 Jan 2021

South Korea's Intellectual Discovery is in the process of becoming a big league, mainstream NPE

A year after a major capital infusion and a change of leadership, the firm has notched some notable settlements in the US and laid the groundwork for new assertion campaigns Read more

5 Jan 2021

LG Electronics hooks up with IP Bridge as fund looks beyond Japan

Licensing business that shed state sponsorship last year partners with Korean patent powerhouse in latest acquisition Read more

11 Sep 2020

New licensing entity picks up portfolios from Samsung, Kyocera and TCL

Japan-based LLC’s first monetisation move is a licensor spot in Via’s LTE pool Read more

18 Apr 2020

Intellectual Discovery and IP Bridge sales mark the end of an era

The state-backed patent funds helped change the culture around patents in the South Korea and Japan, and now both face the task of surviving the private sector Read more

Frand/SEPS

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2 Mar 2021

New data sheds light on the globalisation of SEPs

Update to study of ‘core’ 5G assets still has Huawei in the driver’s seat, while another report shows growing importance of markets like India and Southeast Asia Read more

29 Jan 2021

Mired in a FRAND and patent fight with Samsung, Ericsson forecasts big quarterly hit to licensing revenues

CEO assures investors that company will maximise value of its portfolio Read more

26 Jan 2021

Latest move in Ericsson v Samsung shows how PTAB reforms are changing big-ticket licensing fights

The Korean tech giant has moved quickly to file a pair of IPRs against its rival’s patents but has so far not targeted any of those asserted in US district court Read more

15 Jan 2021

Oppo’s patent focus: smaller deals, younger rights and future standards

Shanghai-based R&D firm Langbo inks its first patent sale to a major Chinese buyer after a pair of deals with foreign NPEs Read more

Law & Policy

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3 Mar 2021

Samsung, LG and South Korea’s trade secrets dilemma

The long read: Few countries are more focused on the threat of IP leaks to China than South Korea. But when it comes to shoring up legal protections for trade secrets, senior leaders have put on the brakes, anticipating threats to key industry players and national technology goals Read more

1 Feb 2021

“It’s really embarrassing” - LG and SK feel the political heat ahead of US trade secrets decision

South Korean PM’s comments show that IP enforcement does not happen in a vacuum Read more

21 Jan 2021

Hot tech sectors power Korean patent growth in 2020

KIPO says users turned crisis to opportunity, recording a big increase in IP creation Read more

10 Dec 2020

Korea’s tough selection patent inventiveness rules may be overturned

The country’s Supreme Court is expected to hand down a potentially momentous decision in the coming months Read more

Litigation

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3 Mar 2021

Samsung, LG and South Korea’s trade secrets dilemma

12 Feb 2021

Ford CEO weighs in on “really embarrassing” South Korean battery trade secrets fight

With the auto giant set for a high-profile roll out of several new electric vehicles, the dispute between LG Chem and SK Innovation is once again in the spotlight Read more

9 Feb 2021

New lawsuit shows strategic value of Samsung's patent buying programme

With over 21,000 patents to choose from in big OLED battle, Samsung Display is making use of rights it bought from Seiko Epson eight years ago Read more

3 Feb 2021

Japanese chemical giants score patent litigation wins in China

Two of country’s top industrials got successful results in the market that constitutes their number one business challenge Read more

Market Developments

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2 Mar 2021

New data sheds light on the globalisation of SEPs

Update to study of ‘core’ 5G assets still has Huawei in the driver’s seat, while another report shows growing importance of markets like India and Southeast Asia Read more

18 Feb 2021

Apple Car rumours stoke brand anxiety for Asian carmakers

Licensing not the only area of IP tensions caused by the convergence of the high-tech and auto sectors Read more

2 Feb 2021

LG Electronics smartphone exit would present big patent portfolio questions

Korean company may sell or close lossmaking division, but its huge trove of 5G and wireless IP supports many other parts of its business Read more

21 Jan 2021

Hot tech sectors power Korean patent growth in 2020

KIPO says users turned crisis to opportunity, recording a big increase in IP creation Read more

Non-Practising Entities

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9 Feb 2021

New lawsuit shows strategic value of Samsung's patent buying programme

With over 21,000 patents to choose from in big OLED battle, Samsung Display is making use of rights it bought from Seiko Epson eight years ago Read more

28 Jan 2021

Korean licensing firm reboots Pantech monetisation efforts

The defunct smartphone brand’s IP assets changed hands once again last year. A new lawsuit shows monetisation is at the top of the agenda for new owner Read more

11 Jan 2021

Samsung heats up OLED battle with Japanese upstart

Countersuit against JOLED follows appointment of Covington & Burling lawyer as new IP head at Korean company’s Samsung Display affiliate Read more

8 Jan 2021

South Korea's Intellectual Discovery is in the process of becoming a big league, mainstream NPE

A year after a major capital infusion and a change of leadership, the firm has notched some notable settlements in the US and laid the groundwork for new assertion campaigns Read more

Patent Pools

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15 Jan 2021

Oppo’s patent focus: smaller deals, younger rights and future standards

Shanghai-based R&D firm Langbo inks its first patent sale to a major Chinese buyer after a pair of deals with foreign NPEs Read more

8 Aug 2020

China's universities can shape the future of video - and more besides - if they get IP right

Robust technical contributions to VVC could turn into future royalty streams as the country's academic institutions get more involved than ever before in standards-setting Read more

4 Jun 2020

Oppo buys SEP applications from Korean research entity, gearing up for the future of streaming

“We want to prepare for next generation of video codec as early as possible” an Oppo executive tells IAM Read more

21 May 2020

Addition of Samsung to patent pool adds to Via’s grip on the advanced audio space

Outfit's head points to ongoing deal activity despite covid-19 crisis as he eyes possible opportunities in video Read more

Patents Law

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2 Mar 2021

New data sheds light on the globalisation of SEPs

Update to study of ‘core’ 5G assets still has Huawei in the driver’s seat, while another report shows growing importance of markets like India and Southeast Asia Read more

9 Feb 2021

New lawsuit shows strategic value of Samsung's patent buying programme

With over 21,000 patents to choose from in big OLED battle, Samsung Display is making use of rights it bought from Seiko Epson eight years ago Read more

3 Feb 2021

Japanese chemical giants score patent litigation wins in China

Two of country’s top industrials got successful results in the market that constitutes their number one business challenge Read more

2 Feb 2021

LG Electronics smartphone exit would present big patent portfolio questions

Korean company may sell or close lossmaking division, but its huge trove of 5G and wireless IP supports many other parts of its business Read more

Strategy

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18 Feb 2021

Apple Car rumours stoke brand anxiety for Asian carmakers

Licensing not the only area of IP tensions caused by the convergence of the high-tech and auto sectors Read more

3 Feb 2021

Japanese chemical giants score patent litigation wins in China

Two of country’s top industrials got successful results in the market that constitutes their number one business challenge Read more

2 Feb 2021

LG Electronics smartphone exit would present big patent portfolio questions

Korean company may sell or close lossmaking division, but its huge trove of 5G and wireless IP supports many other parts of its business Read more

26 Jan 2021

Latest move in Ericsson v Samsung shows how PTAB reforms are changing big-ticket licensing fights

The Korean tech giant has moved quickly to file a pair of IPRs against its rival’s patents but has so far not targeted any of those asserted in US district court Read more

Technology Licensing

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29 Jan 2021

Mired in a FRAND and patent fight with Samsung, Ericsson forecasts big quarterly hit to licensing revenues

CEO assures investors that company will maximise value of its portfolio Read more

8 Jan 2021

South Korea's Intellectual Discovery is in the process of becoming a big league, mainstream NPE

A year after a major capital infusion and a change of leadership, the firm has notched some notable settlements in the US and laid the groundwork for new assertion campaigns Read more

29 Dec 2020

The Ericsson v Samsung FRAND licensing dispute explodes into life

The Korean giant’s Christmas day anti-suit injunction from a Chinese court receives a swift response from Judge Gilstrap in the Eastern District of Texas Read more

21 Dec 2020

In its Texas FRAND suit against Samsung, Ericsson introduces a brand new SEP litigation strategy

A need for speed has seen the Swedish company decide that the best form of attack is defence Read more

Trade Secrets

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3 Mar 2021

Samsung, LG and South Korea’s trade secrets dilemma

12 Feb 2021

Ford CEO weighs in on “really embarrassing” South Korean battery trade secrets fight

With the auto giant set for a high-profile roll out of several new electric vehicles, the dispute between LG Chem and SK Innovation is once again in the spotlight Read more

1 Feb 2021

“It’s really embarrassing” - LG and SK feel the political heat ahead of US trade secrets decision

South Korean PM’s comments show that IP enforcement does not happen in a vacuum Read more

4 Nov 2020

CEO’s patent comments illustrate high stakes of LG Chem IP campaign

The company plans to spin off its lucrative auto battery business, and executive says patents will be key to fending off competition from China Read more

Valuation

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4 Nov 2020

Twitter

12 Apr 2021

@IAM_Alerts Six takeaways from the $1.8 billion settlement between LG Energy Solutions and SK Innovation https://t.co/DA8pliNsx3 https://t.co/8WxEHe1UJX Read more

11 Apr 2021

@IAM_Alerts We are hiring ... Check out this job at Law Business Research: Deputy Editor https://t.co/7MZFKDmAPV Read more

11 Apr 2021

@IAM_Alerts The IAM Sunday Supplement is now out, including: Aon’s $400m IP fund; Nokia seals major Lenovo deal; LG touts smart… https://t.co/VYFYqmqhqb Read more

10 Apr 2021

@IAM_Alerts RT @IAM_Alerts: In a split Senate, the fact that @ThomTillis, the ranking Republican member of the Judiciary Committee’s IP sub-committee,… Read more