Korean Trade Commission bans Matsushita PDPs

Further to the LG/Matsushita IP dispute, on November 29, 2004, South Korea imposed a temporary ban on imports of plasma display panels [PDPs] made by Matsushita after LG Electronics complained its rival had violated its intellectual property rights. Matsushita has raised similar complaints about LG in Japan [see earlier posts.]

The Korean Trade Commission’s ban indicates Panasonic will temporarily be prohibited from importing new PDPs, used in flat-screen televisions and computer monitors, and will not be able to sell those it has in stock until a formal ruling is made.

-->The dispute underlines the increasingly strong stance Japanese electronics groups are taking against their Asian competitors over intellectual property rights. Japanese manufacturers have been alarmed about technology leaks and patent infringements by Asian rivals, which they claim are undermining their competitiveness in an industry where digitalisation has lowered the entry barrier to many product sectors.<--