Naver Affiliate Files Lawsuit Against Kakao

An affiliate of Naver, NHN Entertainment, has filed a law suit against Kakao for violating its patented mobile technology. The suit, which was filed with Seoul Central District Court, comes with NHN's claims that Kakao refused to pay a fair amount for using its technology, upon demand. The technology in question is the programming interface developed by NHN's subsidiary, K-Innovation, which allows users to link their mobile game account with a messenger or social media app. Expected to take up to two or three years, the suit could be worth around 20 billion US dollars, as patent fees can total 10 percent of annual revenue. However, the case may continue after that, because if NHN were to win this suit, they could then target Facebook or messenger app LINE under the same infringement. 

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