[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] The first trial of a lawsuit filed by a former KT&G researcher claiming that he did not receive fair compensation for developing the world's first internally heated electronic cigarette but was sued by the company for trillions of won in damages was held on the 17th. In response, KT&G claimed that the employee's claim that he "did not receive compensation" is against the agreement, so a legal battle is expected.

The employee claimed that he had invented the world's first electronic cigarette technology but had not received compensation from the company, and that his job-related invention compensation at the time was worth 2.8 trillion won, but in reality, he was seeking 100 billion won in the lawsuit.

KT&G stated regarding the lawsuit claiming compensation for employee inventions, "We have already paid appropriate compensation for employee inventions to the relevant retiree through due process. We have had sufficient consultations with the relevant retiree and even reached an agreement not to file a lawsuit." They added, "The retiree's belated claim that he did not receive compensation is an action that goes against the agreement he accepted at the time. We plan to actively participate in this lawsuit."

This lawsuit began when Mr. A, a former KT&G researcher, filed a lawsuit against KT&G, claiming that he had developed the world's first electronic cigarette technology but had not received sufficient compensation. Mr. A attracted attention in a press conference held in April when he emphasized that his job invention compensation at the time was 2.8 trillion won. However, the actual amount claimed in the lawsuit was revealed to be 100 billion won.

The plaintiff side immediately refuted, saying, “I have never received any related compensation,” and the two sides have established stark opposing views even before the lawsuit began. Person A claims that although he signed a technical advisory contract after retirement, it was not in the nature of compensation and that even this was intended to prevent a leak. Person A argued, “I worked as a technical advisor for a year starting in March 2021 and all I received was an advance payment of 20 million won and a monthly salary of 6.25 million won,” and “It was only a salary according to the technical advisory contract and has nothing to do with the invention compensation.”

KT&G claimed, “In April, they claimed there were 8 job inventions, but in the documents submitted on the 10th, they claimed there were 16 job inventions, which shows that the number of claimed job inventions has increased.” They also claimed, “Because we have not been able to reveal the identity of the other 5 inventions other than the 3 for which patents have been applied, the relationship between the original 8 and the increased 16 job inventions has not been identified.”

In response, Research Institute A argued, “If each technology, including the electronic cigarette developed at the time of patent application, had been independently applied for, all technologies would have been protected,” and “We did not even apply for a patent for the detailed technology included in the main job invention.”

It was also reported that the corresponding recognition amount of 315.5 million won was paid and that the purpose of the claim has not been expanded to this day.

Person A claimed that KT&G did not patent its technology overseas, which led its global competitor PMI to launch a heat-not-burn e-cigarette. KT&G refuted the claim, saying, "The former employee's claim that PMI would not have developed IQOS if the patent had been registered overseas is not true in some ways."

The next hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on January 23 next year.