Turkey's Arçelik files patent lawsuit against LG

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

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Arçelik, a leading white goods producer in Turkey, on Feb. 13 filed a case for patent infringement against South Korean appliances manufacturer LG Electronics and its subsidiaries in France and Germany.

Arçelik claimed that LG Electronics used the Turkish firm's washing machine technology, named 'Direct Drive', in its devices under another name -- '6 motion'. The company said this was unlicensed, according to information received by Anadolu Agency.

The technology, patented in 1997, prevents damage to clothes by enabling the drum to perform a half-turn cradle movement.

Despite the Turkish company's efforts for resolving the issue amicably, LG electronics failed to cooperate, Arçelik asserted.

As a result, Arçelik, which is a listed company, brought the dispute to the court.

Arçelik, active in around 150 countries, employs over 1,500 research and development staff in 20 centers. It also has 30,000 employees throughout the world and 12 brands -- Arçelik, Beko, Grundig, Blomberg, ElektraBregenz, Arctic, Leisure, Flavel, Defy, Altus, Dawlance, and Voltas Beko.

As the second-largest white goods company in Europe, Arçelik is among the top 100 global patent applicants and has almost 3,500 international patent applications in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).