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Hyundai, Kia ordered to pay $28.9 million for patent infringement in US

October 2, 2015
Hyundai and Kia have been accused of violating patents in their hybrid engine design. (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America)

Hyundai and Kia have been accused of violating patents in their hybrid engine design. (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have been ordered by a U.S. federal jury to pay $28.9 million for the infringement of patents related to hybrid engines, company officials said Friday.

The jury in a Baltimore court rejected the argument by the two South Korean auto giants that the patents owned by Paice are not valid and concluded that the infringement was “intentional.”

The suit filed by the Baltimore-based company in 2012 focused on the possible infringement of the patents related to technology that controls electric motors and combustion engines in a way that enhances fuel efficiency and cuts emissions.

Paice claims that Hyundai and Kia used its patented technology in their hybrid vehicles. Hyundai and Kia said they will deliver their dissent to the jury decision to the presiding judge and appeal if their objection is not accepted.

The company has filed similar suits against such global carmakers as Toyota and Ford.