Battle over battery technology ends as MU Ionics and CATL sign licensing deal

MU Ionics and CATL have resolved their patent disputes. They recently signed a licence deal that also impacts Opel, which uses the Chinese battery manufacturer's products in its electric vehicles and faced infringement claims in Germany.

MU Ionics, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Chemical and Ube Industries, produces electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. Its EP 1 939 971 covers a lithium secondary cell and nonaqueous electrolytic solution for use therein. The patent holder accused Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) of infringing this technology with their lithium batteries and sued both the Chinese battery producer and Opel in Germany.

In January 2023, the Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled that CATL and Opel do not infringe EP 971 in Germany (case ID: 4c O 53/21). MU Ionic appealed the decision.

Validity challenged

Alongside the infringement action, Opel and CATL filed nullity suits at the Federal Patent Court. The court indicated in its preliminary opinion that the patent might be nullified. As a result, the Higher Regional Court suspended the second instance infringement proceedings. The parties settled shortly before the Federal Patent Court was due to make a final decision in the nullity proceedings.

MU Ionics recently announced that they signed a patent licensing agreement with CATL that covers the MP1 Technology. The company stated that both parties “pledge to advance its adoption and fuel the expansion of electronic and electric vehicle markets together”.

The lithium-ion battery market is expanding rapidly, largely due to increasing growth in electric cars. Various market analyses predict a global compound annual growth rate of between 15% and 18% by 2030.