LG's request in early November to ban imports of PDP (Plasma Display Panel) TV sets made by Japanese Matsushita has been granted. Although the South Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy has not announced when the ban will take effect, decisions have been made to temporarily check any imports and sales of Matsushita's PDPs in the country. This is LG's counterattack against Matsushita's move to ban LG's PDPs in Japan.

 

Once the ban commences, Panasonic Korea, Matsushita's Korean branch, will be prohibited to import or sell any PDP offerings inside of South Korea. Only those already in distribution may be exempted from this regulation. The ban will be reconsidered when a final verdict is issued on the patent infringement case between Matsushita and LG.

 

Matsushita had filed a suit against LG Electronics early in November, claiming that LG had infringed on one of its PDP technology patents. Its plea to ban LG's PDPs in Japan has likewise been granted by the Tokyo district court.

 

LG denied any accusations concerning the case, saying that it had endeavored to reach a cross-licensing agreement with Matsushita since August of 2003. However, the negotiation broke down recently.