Zeon sues Arlanxeo over alleged infringement of lithium-ion battery materials IP

Tokyo – Zeon Corp. has filed a lawsuit against Arlanxeo Deutschland GmbH (Arlanxeo) over an alleged infringement of Zeon’s German patent on lithium-ion battery materials.

The complaint, filed 9 Aug in the District Court of Munich, Germany, “seeks an injunction against further infringement as well as compensation for damages related to Arlanxeo’s manufacture and sale of the relevant products in Germany.”

This lawsuit, Zeon said in a press statement issued 21 Aug, concerns products manufactured and sold by Arlanxeo in Germany which are deemed to have used Zeon’s patented technology on cathode binders for lithium-ion batteries.

The products can be used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops, and other products, the Japanese group added.

Zeon maintains that its cathode binders were the first non-fluorine binders adopted by the industry and have been “widely supported and recognised by lithium-ion battery manufacturers.”

As previously reported by ERJ, Zeon has been supplying binder materials for batteries since 1995 and has developed its flagship aqueous SBR binders for negative electrodes.

The Japanese group holds a broad intellectual property portfolio related to Li-ion batteries.

In its latest statement, Zeon said it continues to “engage in significant investments and business development” for lithium-ion battery materials and that the legal action will “contribute to achieving sound development.”

ERJ is contacting Arlanxeo and Zeon for comment about the press announcement issued 21 Aug.