Kaneka Wins Patent Suit against S. Korean Chemical Maker

Osaka, June 1 (Jiji Press)--Kaneka Corp. <4118> said Thursday it has won a lawsuit against a South Korean chemical maker and a U.S. sales company over infringement of the Japanese chemical maker's polyimide film patents. U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ordered the South Korean maker, SKC Kolon PI Inc., on May 24 to pay a total of 13,489,000 dollars, the Osaka-based company said in a statement. Polyimide films are used for printed circuit boards for smartphones and other purposes. In the suit, filed by Kaneka in July 2010, the court acknowledged the validity of Kaneka's patents and ruled that the U.S. sales company, guided by SKC Kolon, infringed them. In August last year, SKC Kolon filed a suit claiming that it had already changed its production method for polyimide films and that its current products do not infringe Kaneka's patents. Kaneka countersued SKC Kolon and plans to file a petition for sales and production suspensions. END