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| (Source: Kolon Industries) |
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has refused to institute inter partes reviews of three Kolon Industries Inc. patents covering hybrid tire cord technology, dealing a setback to HS Hyosung Advanced Materials Co. in a transpacific dispute.
In a decision issued Aug. 14, 2025, the PTAB declined to open review proceedings on U.S. Patent Nos. 9,617,663, 9,789,731, and 10,196,765, each directed to hybrid tire cords and methods of manufacturing the same. HS Hyosung had petitioned for review in February as part of its defense against Kolon's infringement claims.
Kolon filed suit in the Central District of California in February 2024, alleging that Hyosung Corp. and HS Hyosung Advanced Materials infringed the three patents. While Hyosung can still raise invalidity defenses in that litigation, the evidentiary burden for proving invalidity in court is significantly higher than in PTAB proceedings, leaving the company facing a steeper challenge.
The dispute also has a parallel track in Korea. In March 2024, the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board rejected HS Hyosung's attempt to invalidate Kolon's Korean Patent No. 1580352, directed to hybrid fiber cord technology. But in June 2025, the Patent Court of Korea reversed that ruling, siding with Hyosung and finding the patent invalid.
By PatenTrip
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