Whirlpool Corporation announced that it has filed a patent infringement suit against LG Electronics, Inc., and the South Korean company's U.S. affiliate, LG Electronics USA, Inc.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, maintains that several LG clothes washers recently introduced into the U.S. infringe two patents secured by Whirlpool in 1993 to protect innovative washing technology.

Whirlpool is asking the court to enjoin LG from infringing the company's patents, to remove the infringing products from its U.S. product supply chain and to pay unspecified compensation for damages that already has occurred from the infringement.

David L. Swift
Whirlpool's executive VP for North America
"Whirlpool has invested heavily in developing innovative fabric care wash technology that delivers meaningful benefits to our customers. As the North American leader in major home appliances, Whirlpool will tirelessly and aggressively work to protect our assets from competitors who choose to disregard U.S. patent law."

The two Whirlpool patents protect wash and rinse cycles in newer clothes washers, which deliver sharply higher energy and water savings to customers. The unique wash step provides a series of recirculating sprays of concentrated wash liquid onto laundry loads, while the innovative rinse step performs a tumble motion as recirculating rinse sprays remove wash liquids.

Whirlpool's legal action follows a separate suit filed by the company against LG in June 2003 in the same U.S. Federal Court. In the previous suit, Whirlpool alleges that the Korean manufacturer used the Whirlpool registered trademark "Whisper Quiet" on some of its clothes washers and dryers. The "Whisper Quiet" trademark appears on the console of Whirlpool's KitchenAid brand clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers.