South Korean mobile operator SK Telecom won a patent lawsuit against global mobile messenger app Viber, according to local paper Korea Herald. As Viber had infringed on four patents held by SK Telecom, the company was banned from distributing its application in the South Korean market, the Seoul Central District Court said.
If the ruling is upheld by the higher court, the decision may also affect KakaoTalk, a popular mobile application powered by Korean internet services provider Daum Kakao, as the app uses similar technology. KakaoTalk has an estimated 37 million local users in the country of 50 million people. SK Telecom denied Viber's accusations that it was trying to bring customers back to SMS services through the lawsuit. The Korean operator said it is just trying to protect its technology.
