LG Electronics accuses Turkish firm of stealing IP

LG Electronics has filed a lawsuit in a German court against Turkey’s Beko, claiming the company’s use of a steam technology in its laundry machines infringed on LG’s intellectual property.

The case was filed in the Mannheim District Court, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

The patent, which LG claims was wrongfully copied from its washing machines, prevents steam from being dispersed in certain wash modes that deal with heat-sensitive garments. Normally, steam is used to sterilize and straighten out wrinkles on clothes, but steam can damage heat-sensitive garments.

Last September, the company filed a lawsuit against Arcelik and its German affiliates Beko Deutschland and Grundig Intermedia in connection with freezer door ice-making technology contained in LG’s Side-by-Side refrigerators.

By Song Kyoung-son