On November 26, 2019, Seoul Semiconductor announced to auction its radio frequency (RF) semiconductor patent portfolio and a high-power LED package patent portfolio. In the first auction, Seoul Semiconductor is seeking the top bidder for 80 patent assets related to power amplifiers and gallium nitride (GaN) RF semiconductors, including 54 U.S. patents. Three of the patents are licensed to the U.S. Air Force or the U.S. Army. In the second auction, Seoul Semiconductor will auction more than 100 patents, including US, European, Chinese, Japanese, and Ko...

In addition to our witness of the raid at Light and Building 2018, LEDinside also learnt a low-key move from Epistar, who according to sources had reached out to dozens of exhibitors on-site regarding Epistar’s intellectual property rights.

Epistar Corporation filed a patent infringement lawsuit against All Star Lighting Supplies, Inc., d/b/a Luxrite in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on October 13, 2017. The complaint asserts that Luxrite’s LED filament bulbs infringe eight Epistar patents and seeks injunctive relief to halt further sale of the infringing products.

For a long time, Nichia, Osram Opto., Cree, Toyota Gosei and Lumileds have jointly shaped an enormous and powerful patent shield with cross-license agreements within the world LED industry and the five lighting goliaths have been charging, more or less, whoever tried to sell LED products abroad. However, as those patents are about to expire, Taiwan- and Korea-based Companies rise with their new patents and the expansion of Chinese businesses is posing threats, the industry is slowing transitioning away from the old oligopoly.

Large LED companies are increasingly turning to strategies focused on filing patent infringement lawsuits against competitors, Korean LED giant Seoul Semiconductor has become the latest company to take legal action against 29 firms worldwide for infringing backlight, filament, LED chip and package patents, reported Business Korea.

Seoul Semiconductor announced on Sept. 11, 2016 that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit together with its affiliate company, Seoul Viosys, against Kmart in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Kmart is one of the largest global retail companies with approximately 1,000 stores in the U.S., and whose annual revenues total US$25 billion.

Lighting Science®, a global leader in next-generation LED lighting solutions, today announced that it received 35 new patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2015. These new patents – covering the fields of biologically adjusted and corrected lighting, light spectrum control, micro-electric optics, and advances in roadway infrastructure and other lighting fixtures – demonstrate that Lighting Science continues to set the global standard for light emitting diode (LED) and related innovation. “This new set of patents expands Lighting Science’s vast portfolio of issued patents to 366, with many focused on spectrum control and its effect on human health. Our research and development team, led by founder and Chief Technology Officer, Fred Maxik, set a high standard for innovation in 2015 of which we are extremely proud,” said Lighting Science CEO Ed Bednarcik.

Philips decision to sell Lumileds to Chinese financial group Go Scale Capital has taken a sharp turn. The business deal was abruptly halted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), due to unknown concerns. Philips and Go Scale Capital has been forced to call off the deal, which has sent shockwaves throughout the market and caused new changes in manufacturers’ competition race.

Brite-Strike Tactical Illumination Products announced that two key patents on their APALS®; All Purpose Adhesive Light Strips, issued and a third on their PISSA®/CAPSS™ perimeter alarm systems. "We are pleased to have these important patents issued, and have others still pending. These patents bring our US issued patents to 12 and registered trademarks to 20. These, along with our international patents and trademarks give our company an IP portfolio that is unheard of for a company our size," Glenn Bushee President and CEO stated.

What can manufacturers do when phosphor powder prices plunge? Should these manufacturers follow others lead and slash prices to keep market shares, or should they stand on the sidelines as spectators? How can manufacturers change their market strategies?

It’s reported that Taiwan-based LED chip maker Huga Optotech was accused by patent licensing company Bluestone Innovations, because Bluestone thought Huga had infringed upon its intellectual property in Group III-V nitride production process. Huga was seeking legal council to decrease the impact on its operation.

Yesterday, Rambus announced that it has acquired technology and patents related to LCDs and optoelectronics from Global Lighting Technologies (GLT) for US$26 million.