South Korean Boiler Manufacturers Clash Over Heat Exchanger Patents
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| (Source: http://as.kdnavien.co.kr/HeaderData/2017_Navien_Promo_brochure_KR.pdf) |
Kiturami, a South Korean boiler manufacturer, successfully invalidated portions of competitor Kyungdong Navien's patents after challenging key heat exchanger technologies.
In February 2024, Kiturami filed for the invalidation of four patents held by Kyungdong Navien with the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (KIPTAB).
Three of the disputed patents—KR2399606, KR2405497, and KR2405498—were all related to a specific heat exchanger unit technology. These patents originated from a divisional application of Kyungdong Navien’s original heat exchanger unit patent, KR2240319, filed under application number KR10-2018-0156356.
The fourth patent, KR2372926, covered a combustion room and an integrated boiler.
In August 2024, KIPTAB ruled in favor of Kiturami on two patents. The board fully invalidated the '606 patent and partially invalidated claims 1, 2, and 4 through 20 of the '498 patent. However, Kiturami's attempt to invalidate claim 3 of the '498 patent was rejected, and its challenge against the '497 patent was dismissed.
In September 2024, KIPTAB further ruled that the '926 patent related to the combustion room and integrated boiler was invalid.
Kiturami’s invalidation claims targeted patents that were originally derived from the parent heat exchanger unit patent KR2240319, which had previously survived a cancellation request filed in June 2021. In that case, the KIPTAB dismissed the cancellation request in July 2022. The law firm representing the party in that earlier cancellation attempt is also handling Kiturami's current invalidation challenges.
While Kiturami's invalidation claims were largely upheld at the board level, neither Kyungdong Navien nor Kiturami have filed appeals in court to challenge the rulings, though the window to do so remains open.
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