Protecting the patents of a household name

The market for high-end, large-capacity, technologically advanced washing machines is intensely competitive. When LG entered the U.S.market, Whirlpool, Maytag, and Fischer & Paykel each sued LG, claiming LG’s washers infringed their patents. Not one prevailed, and LG remains in this important market. In each case, we employed an aggressive pretrial strategy based on team work. The asserted Fischer & Paykel patent stands rejected in a reexamination. The Maytag case was settled, as were two other infringement actions between Whirlpool and LG. In the third Whirlpool action, the judge granted summary judgment of no infringement on one patent and invalidity of the other patent.