韩国半导体零部件厂BCNC一审在edge ring设计权侵权案中败诉于Lam Research，被判停产销毁并赔偿，将上诉

BCNC Loses First-Round Design Infringement Case Against Lam Research < Supply Chain < 기사본문 - The Elec Inc.
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BCNC Loses First-Round Design Infringement Case Against Lam Research
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(Photo: BCNC)
South Korean semiconductor etching-component maker BCNC is expected to appeal a lower-court ruling in a design-right infringement lawsuit filed by US semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research.
The Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 62 ruled Thursday [note: October 8, 2026] partly in favor of Lam Research in a lawsuit seeking an injunction against BCNC’s alleged infringement of design rights. The court ordered BCNC to stop producing and distributing the products in question and to destroy products in its possession. It also ordered BCNC to pay damages. The court, however, dismissed the remainder of Lam Research’s claims.
Lam Research filed the lawsuit against BCNC in January 2024, alleging that BCNC’s edge-ring products for semiconductor etching processes infringed its registered designs. Edge rings are components used to protect the edges of wafers during semiconductor etching.
The two companies have disputed the scope of the allegedly infringing products and the calculation of damages. During a hearing resumed last month, Lam Research adjusted some of the products subject to the damages calculation based on tax records while keeping its claim amount unchanged. BCNC countered that the records were insufficient to identify products that infringed Lam Research’s design rights.
The companies are also involved in separate disputes over the validity of designs and patents related to edge rings. In November 2024, BCNC sought invalidation proceedings against two Lam Research designs for "edge rings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment." The Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled in May that both designs were valid. BCNC challenged the decisions by filing separate cancellation suits with the Patent Court in late July and early August.
The patent disputes have produced mixed rulings. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled that two of three Lam Research patents related to edge rings were invalid and that one was valid. Both companies have challenged decisions unfavorable to them and are now contesting the matters before the Patent Court. The design-right infringement case and the separate proceedings concerning design and patent validity are being handled independently, with the broader disputes expected to continue through appeals and at the Patent Court.
Lam Research is also involved in intellectual-property disputes with other South Korean semiconductor-component aftermarket suppliers. The aftermarket is a market in which component makers supply replacement parts directly to semiconductor manufacturers without going through semiconductor equipment makers. They compete with original-equipment-manufacturer (OEM) component suppliers that have contracts with equipment companies such as Lam Research.
The ruling could restrict BCNC’s production and supply of the edge-ring products found to have infringed Lam Research’s rights. BCNC’s legal counsel said the company plans to appeal.
Selye Moon
selyesel@thelec.kr
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