(Yicai Global) Nov. 23 -- South Korean battery maker LG Chem Ltd. [KRX:051910] has filed a lawsuit in the US against Chinese rival Amperex Technology Ltd., accusing the firm of infringing on technical patents, The Korea Herald reported.

LG Chem and Japanese partner Toray Industries Inc. [TYO:3402] sued the Chinese firm in Michigan State, where the South Korean firm has a factory, for breaching three US patents related to separators and other battery components. LG Chem has been outsourcing its separator production to Toray since 2015.

LG Chem also applied to the US International Trade Commission to ban imports of Amperex batteries, as it exports a large number of low-cost and low-quality Chinese batteries to the US. The firm also claimed it has a factory in America and creates jobs there, whereas its Chinese counterpart barely invests in the US economy.

The batteries involved in the case are used in unmanned aerial vehicles and smartphones made by Da-Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Co. (DJI) and Oppo Electronics Corp., respectively. LG Chem also lists General Motors Co. [NYSE:GM] and FCA US LLC (Chrysler) among its clients.