LG sues BMW, Audi in Korea

LG Electronics Inc said it had filed a sales injunction in South Korea against local branches of BMW AG and Audi AG over the use of lighting products by Osram, which LG accuses of infringing its patents. The injunction request by LG and its component affiliate LG Innotek follows a separate complaint filed with the South Korean trade commission in July to ban imports of LED products from Siemens lightbulb unit Osram. "We've decided to expand the legal case to automakers using LED package products made by Osram, as the infringement is increasingly affecting the fast-growing LED industry," LG said in a statement. LG joined Samsung LED to countersue Osram, after the German firm said in June that it filed lawsuits against the two business groups in the United States, Germany and Japan and another against LG in China. Samsung LED countersued in June, filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Osram Korea and two Korean sales agents of the German company at a Seoul district court. Osram is the world's No.2 lighting company after Philips , ahead of General Electric Co . LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit light and boast high energy efficiency, while organic light emitting diodes ( OLED) are based on organic compounds and used in a range of products including lighting, automobiles, projectors, mobile phones and TVs. Osram has claimed Samsung and LG infringed its patents on white and surface mountable LEDs. It said it would seek compensation, adding various prominent companies worldwide have taken royalty-bearing licenses on its conversion technology. LG said on Wednesday products from BMW and Audi infringed seven of its patents relating to LED chips and packaging technologies. By 0230 GMT, shares in LG traded up 1.2 percent versus a 0.6 percent rise in the wider market . (Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)