POSCO Co. Ltd.

POSCO Co. Ltd., commonly known as POSCO, is a major South Korean steel manufacturer headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. The company was founded in April 1968 as Pohang Iron and Steel Company and has since grown to become one of the world's leading steel producers. It is a publicly traded company, listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 005490) and formerly on the NYSE (PKX) as POSCO Holdings Inc., the parent entity since 2022. As of 2023, POSCO was the world's 7th largest steel producer by crude steel output, and its parent, POSCO Holdings Inc., reported consolidated revenue of KRW 77.1 trillion for FY2023. The company employs over 44,500 people.

POSCO's primary operations involve the production of a wide range of steel products, including flat steel products, long steel products, wire products, plates, stainless steel, and electrical steel. These materials serve diverse industries such as automotive, shipbuilding, construction, and home appliances. Beyond its core steel business, POSCO has diversified into battery materials and critical minerals, encompassing lithium, nickel, and the manufacturing of cathode and anode materials for rechargeable batteries through subsidiaries like POSCO Future M. The company also has interests in trading, LNG, energy, engineering, and construction.

In terms of patent litigation, POSCO Co. Ltd. appears as a plaintiff in the tracked case data, with one case at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). This indicates an operating company actively engaging in patent challenges, rather than a non-practicing entity (NPE) asserting an acquired portfolio.

The notable tracked case, POSCO Co. Ltd. v. ArcelorMittal, filed in 2024 at the PTAB, involves challenges to patents related to "Coated Steel Strips, Coated Stamped Products and Methods," particularly concerning hot-stamped steel products for the automotive industry. POSCO, as the petitioner, has sought to invalidate claims of patents owned by ArcelorMittal, arguing anticipation and obviousness over prior art. This case also involved parallel proceedings at the International Trade Commission (ITC), and institution of the PTAB review was granted despite some Fintiv considerations due to POSCO's previous invalidation of a parent patent.