SK Innovation had asked the White House to overturn a ruling by the US federal trade commission last month, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The South Korean battery maker told the Biden administration that the International Trade Commission’s 10-year import ban on it would cause it to abandon its battery factory currently being built in the state of Georgia, the report said.
LG Energy Solution also met with trad officials of the administration and made their pitch for preserving the ruling, The Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussion.
The ITC made its final determination in the dispute between the two South Korean battery makers on February 10. The commission found that SK indeed stole trade secrets from LG and ordered a 10-year import ban against it.
The ruling will go into affect within 60 days after the judgment is made. There has been no case so far where a US president have used their power of veto over the ITC’s ruling when it deals with trade secrets.
If SK and LG fail to reach a settlement before April 11, they will continue their legal battle at a court in Delaware.
