The domestic battery industry's top company, LG Energy Solution, has nearly doubled the number of patents it holds over the past five years and is actively registering patents. LG Energy Solution plans to increase the strength of protection for registered patents and actively utilize them to generate revenue.
According to the business report for 2024 announced by LG Energy Solution on the 18th, the company held a total of 38,498 registered patents as of the end of last year (12,243 domestic and 28,255 overseas), which is approximately 1.8 times more than the second-ranked domestic company, Samsung SDI, which had 21,846 patents as of the end of 2024.
The number of patents registered by LG Energy Solution both domestically and internationally has increased significantly each year: ▲ 19,774 patents in 2020 ▲ 23,292 in 2021 ▲ 26,641 in 2022 ▲ 30,653 in 2023 ▲ 38,498 in 2024. The company also announced that it is in the process of applying for a total of 31,133 patents, including 13,392 domestically and 17,741 overseas.
The reason LG Energy Solution holds a vast number of patents is due to its over 30 years of experience since it first started research on lithium-ion batteries in 1992. An official from LG Energy Solution noted, 'We have preemptively secured most of the core technologies needed in a wide range of fields, from basic first-generation technologies commonly used in battery manufacturing to advanced third-generation technologies, including battery materials, processes, packs, and battery management systems (BMS).'
LG Energy Solution holds various design patents, including Double Layer Slot Die Coating (DLD) technology, which enhances the efficiency of the battery anode production process, and carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersion technology. The company has also been a pioneer in developing high-nickel (High-Ni), mid-nickel (Mid-Ni) NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) in the institutional sector.
LG Energy Solution plans to actively monetize its patents by establishing a global licensing market and protecting intellectual property rights. This is because cases of patent infringement have increased as the battery industry rapidly grows. LG Energy Solution has stated that the number of 'strategic patents' among its holdings that competitors have infringed or are expected to infringe is around 1,000, of which only 580 have been confirmed as actual infringements.
LG Energy Solution intends to streamline its licensing business and management by gradually registering key patents through a global patent pool centered on infringed patents. A patent pool refers to the practice where a company that owns a number of patents entrusts the management of these patent rights to a patent management agency.
LG Energy Solution plans to increase investments in technology development by receiving reasonable royalties on patent rights. The company reported a 24% decline in sales last year compared to the previous year but invested 1.0882 trillion won in research and development, which is a 4.9% increase compared to the previous year. Kim Dong-myeong, CEO of LG Energy Solution, said at the 'InterBattery 2025' event held earlier this month, 'We hold the most battery-related intellectual property (IP). We intend to leverage this strength to create an advantage over Chinese companies in competition.'