Bloomberg reports that Whirlpool and LG have agreed to settle patent-infringement cases over refrigerator icemakers for an undisclosed sum.
The settlement resolves three patent lawsuits filed in courts in New Jersey and Delaware, Benton Harbor, say Whirlpool and LG said in a statement.
“This agreement, which concludes years of patent litigation between LG and Whirlpool, will result in the dismissal of the cases”, the companies said.
A Delaware jury found in 2010 that LG infringed a Whirlpool icemaker patent and awarded $1.78 million in damages. U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet in Wilmington questioned the jury’s calculations and ordered a new trial. Whirlpool had been seeking more than $22 million in damages.
Last year, Whirlpool said it won a six-month stay of patent litigation over refrigerator technology while it challenged the validity of LG’s patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Hopefully weve seen the last of the patent wars in our industry but, somehow, we doubt it.