On January 19, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) rejected Whirlpool Corp.'s claims that it invented the concept for a refrigerator dispenser with an extendable tray and water spigot before LG Electronics Inc., which LG said was a victory in a long-running patent dispute. In an inter partes dispute brought by Whirlpool, the PTO's Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) held that Whirlpool had failed to prove that it came up with the concept before LG had. The board therefore entered a judgment in LG's favor. LG was represented in this matter by Finnegan.
