LG prevails in patent case

LG Electronics has won the latest round in a court battle against Whirlpool involving refrigerator products.

AU.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) judge has ruled against Whirlpool’s claim that LG Electronics violated its patent for ice storage bins located in refrigerator doors.

In a prepared statement, Whirlpool spokeswoman Jill Saletta told Home Channel News that the company would appeal the judge’s decision to the full ITC Commission. “We firmly believe that Whirlpool Corp.’s patent covers the technology in both LG’s side-by-side and French door refrigerators,” Saletta said.

After Whirlpool filed the initial ITC case, LG responded with its own patent infringement claims against Whirlpool, which are now pending in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. The case is scheduled for trial in March 2010.