Coway filed a lawsuit against infringement of design rights, claiming that Cheongho Nice's "Summit Tower Air Purifier" violated its design.
Coway said, "We judged that the 'Summit Tower Air Purifier' released by Cheongho Nice in February violated the design rights of Coway's 'Noble Air Purifier' released in 2021."
Coway filed a complaint with the court on the 2nd after judging that the main design elements are the same, such as the shape and ratio of the main body of the Cheongho Nice product, the shape of the upper pop-up part, and the movement of the upper pop-up part up and down from the main body.
Coway's "Noble Air Purifier" is Coway's flagship product with a unique design that reflects its architectural structure. Coway filed multiple design rights for the product with the Intellectual Property Office in December 2020, and registered the design rights in April 2021.
Coway believes that products with similar appearances are not just coincidences. It is explained that it is an unfair competition act under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, using the achievements made by Coway's investment without permission.
Coway is also filing lawsuits with Cuckoo, Cheongho Nice, and Kyowon Wells over infringement of water purifier design and patent rights. This is the first time that a design lawsuit related to air purifiers other than water purifiers has been filed.
Cheongho Nice declined to give an immediate answer, saying it was difficult to check the contents. The company said, "We have not been served on the company at this time, so we will review it and reveal our position when the relevant documents are received."
