Final ITC Ruling for LG Electronics in Refrigerator Patent Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2010

Contact:    Andy Sonu, 571.203.2700
                    Partner

Final ITC Ruling for LG Electronics in Refrigerator Patent Case

WASHINGTON, DC – On February 12, 2010, the ITC denied all of Whirlpool’s claims for relief in a Section 337 action between Finnegan client LG Electronics and its competitor Whirlpool, resulting in a total victory for LG Electronics.  Judge Theodore R. Essex had previously ruled that LG refrigerators are not covered by Whirlpool's U.S. Patent No. 6,082,130.  The ITC later revised the claim interpretation of the ‘130 patent and asked the judge to reconsider the remaining disputed issues based on its new interpretation.  On Oct. 9, 2009, Judge Essex applied the ITC’s interpretation and again found that the ‘130 patent does not cover LG refrigerators and also concluded that all but one of the asserted claims is invalid.  Whirlpool originally claimed that five of its patents covered LG refrigerators.  During the course of the case, Whirlpool withdrew four of those patents prior to the hearing

About Finnegan

With more than 375 intellectual property lawyers, Finnegan is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com.

###