[DigitalToday reporter Daegeon Seok] SK Nexilis won recognition from a U.S. court that all five copper foil patents were infringed. A jury at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled on May 22 local time that Solus Advanced Materials infringed SK Nexilis patents related to battery copper foil. The lawsuit, filed by SK Nexilis, SKC's investor in its copper foil business, is a legal dispute between the two companies over key patents in battery materials and produced the first judicial decision.

The patents covered by the verdict involve technology that controls product shape and physical properties in the copper foil manufacturing process to reduce wrinkles and tearing and prevent structural damage during charging and discharging. The company explained that this contributes to improving battery energy density, charging efficiency and durability. The jury found infringement by Solus for all five patents.

An SK Nexilis official said the jury verdict was the first case in which a U.S. court formally recognized that research and development accumulated by SK Nexilis over decades had been unlawfully infringed in the industrial field. The official said the company plans to respond actively to the final ruling and related procedures that follow.

Solus Advanced Materials strongly objected to the verdict. The company said on May 26 that its position was unchanged that it did not infringe any valid claim among the patents asserted by SK Nexilis. It also said the first-instance verdict reflected the characteristics of the U.S. jury system, which focuses on preserving patent rights in the country, and did not reflect legal reasoning. It added that it would pursue follow-on legal steps, including post-trial motions and a second-instance appeal.

Solus Advanced Materials also made clear there would be no business impact. The company explained that a first-instance jury verdict in a U.S. patent lawsuit is part of the process and not a final conclusion. It said it was too early to draw a final conclusion based only on the current result because there are cases in which outcomes are adjusted through a court's Judgment as a Matter of Law, or JMOL, or an appeal. It also said there would be no disruption to stable product supply to global customers or business continuity.

With the jury verdict complete, a final ruling is expected within weeks. Depending on the outcome, follow-on procedures will proceed on the size of damages and the scope of royalty payments.