Korea Intellectual Property Office reported in August that Samsung and LG are ahead of their competitors for U.S. patent applications for washing machines and refrigerators.
From 2011 to 2020, LG applied for 1,102 patents for washing machine applications. Samsung and WINIA Electronics came in fourth and sixth with 493 and 184 applications. During the same period, LG filed 764 applications for refrigerator patents while Samsung had 355 applications ranking them second.
Analysts report for the last 10 years Korean companies’ technology development led to their high market shares. Samsung at 21% and LG at 19% ranked first and second in the electric home appliance market in the first quarter of this year according to Trackline, North American Market Research Company. Whirlpool accounted for 16.55. LG’s sales reached 13.5 trillion and won in the first half of this year, surpassing its archrival Whirlpool’s 11.9 trillion.
Recent Chinese home appliance patent applications can a threat to Korean makers. Chinese home appliance manufacturers ranked first and second in patent application rankings in the five major countries of Korea, the United States, Europe, China and Japan. Between 2011 and 2020 China’s leading home appliance companies – Haier Group and Midea, are in first place for electric home appliance patents in the top five IP countries. Haier stood first in washing machines patent applications while Midea claimed the No. 1 spots in the refrigerator and air conditioner sector.
