Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced that it had signed up its 700th member for its EnabLED Licensing Program for LED luminaires and retrofit bulbs and that 100 new members have joined in the last nine months. The program, which gives companies a license and support to use its patented innovations, saw a 36% growth in member companies from Asia in the same period. 

Global LED manufacturers are starting to develop micro-LED but there are still many bottlenecks to overcome before it can enter mass production, and most industry experts agree it might take another five to 10 years before it can be commercialized.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lite-On reported double digit growth for third quarter of 2016, reported Money DJ.

Samsung Electronics scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 after a series of explosion incidents caused by faulty batteries that has dented its brand reputation. Industry insiders estimate the Korean electronic conglemorate might raise DRAM, AMOLED and other component prices to compensate losses incurred from the Note 7 incidents.

Canadian city Kelowna located inthe south of Canada’s British Columbia province launched a pilot LED streetlight project that could help the city save millions of dollars and cut costs, reported CBC News.

More and more of us are switching to LED bulbs in our homes – now a Queensland research team led by QUT scientists wants Australia’s street lights to be switched over to LEDs.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, announced consolidated revenue of US $321 million from continuing operations, and $50 million from discontinued operations, for a combined revenue of $371 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2017. This represents a 13% decrease compared to combined revenue of $425 million ($381 million from continuing operations and $44 million from discontinued operations) for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and a 4% decrease compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Combined GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 was $0.6 million, or $0.00 per diluted share, compared to combined GAAP net loss of $24 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

Germany’s Deputy Economy Minister Matthias Maching submitted a proposal comprising of six key points to government officials to review investment at the EU level on Monday, Reuters cited local newspaper Welt am Sonntag reporting.

Cree recently had laid off a small number of employees, including at its Durham headquarters, reported Triangle Business Journal.

Foxconn and its newly acquired Japanese subsidiary Sharp might be making OLED panels for smartphone makers in China by 2019, a Nikkeireport cited those familiar with the matter saying.

The Indian government is launching a large scale lighting project valuing INR 10 billion (US $150 million) subsidies to provide affordable solar lights to families living in poverty in Kolkata, India, reported The Economic Times.

Oculus, the virtual reality headgear developer owned by Facebook, has newly acquired an Irish micro-LED company InfiniLED, reported Venture Beat.

Cameo® DVC 4 Powered by Daslight is a new DMX Interface and the first product to come from the recently begun partnership between the Adam Hall Group and renowned software developer, the Nicolaudie Group. The Cameo® Interface offers 512 DMX channels and comes at the attractive price of 279 euros. The accompanying DMX control software Cameo® D4 for putting on impressive light shows is available as a free download.

ABB Lighting, a leading manufacturer of LED fixtures, announced that it has officially changed its name to Above All Lighting. The "Above All" name helps create a more distinct name for the company as it strives to continuously improve and earn a spot among the best in the LED lighting field.        

San’an Opto said that the company has engaged in preliminary discussions with Osram upon a potential acquisition or partnership. However, the two parties only met once to discuss related issues so far.

Royal Philips NV is in discussion to sell its lighting-components division, Lumileds to American private equity firm, Apollo Global Management LLC, reported Bloomberg Technology.

On September 29, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a request for a preliminary injunction in Germany at the Düsseldorf District Court against Mouser Electronics Inc. (“Mouser”), alleging that the white LED product “334-15/X1C5-1QSA” manufactured by Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Everlight”) and distributed by Mouser in Germany infringes Nichia’s YAG patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929).

Cree confirmed that the company has laid off approximately 2.5% of its employees at its Durham headquarters, reported the Journal Times. The company reported that local job cuts and an unspecified number of jobs that were eliminated out of “response to current business conditions.”

San’an Opto clarified rumors that it was in acquisition talks with Osram on Monday.

The International Energy Agency might try replicating India’s LED bulb policy in Indonesia to lower costs of the efficient lighting technology, reported The Hindu.

In June 2016 NICHIA commenced a lawsuit claiming that certain white LED-containing products sold by B&Q plc, the largest DIY company in the UK, and sourced from third-party Asian manufacturers infringed Nichia's European “YAG” patents.

Chinese LED lighting company Yaming Lighting appointed Ayhan Siriner as the new general manager for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as part of its regional deployment strategy.

Cree appoints Daniel Castillo as President, Lighting, effective Nov. 7, 2016. In this role, Castillo will report to Chuck Swoboda and will lead both the commercial and consumer lighting businesses. Castillo joins Cree from Eaton Corporation, where he was most recently Senior Vice President, Oil, Gas and IEC Assemblies. Prior to his work at Eaton, Castillo held leadership roles in lighting and other electrical product areas at both Cooper Industries and General Electric.

The Queen Creek Tunnel on US 60 east of Superior now has a LED lighting system, making it Arizona’s first tunnel to have this innovative and energy-saving technology.

Effective Oct. 4, 2016, Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company, has successfully completed the acquisition of Novità Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of automotive LED modules which are used primarily in tail lights, fog lights and daytime running lights. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in the U.S. automotive LED market. “The successful closing of this transaction is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our leading position in automotive lighting and to expand our LED automotive portfolio for project business,” said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Specialty Lighting business unit. 

Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto is in talks of acquiring Osram group, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported Thursday, without indicating information sources.The acquisition talks are more than just business transacations, but reveal Chinese government's industry policies, analyzed LEDinside.

Osram has gained the services of Thorsten Müller as its new Head of Innovation and Research. The 39-year-old is currently the CEO of the Connected Devices and Solutions division at Bosch and will take up his new position as Head of Corporate Innovation at Osram on December 1, 2016. “Thorsten Müller is an acknowledged expert on the Internet of Things”, said Stefan Kampmann, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of OSRAM Licht AG. “He will provide us with valuable impetus for the ongoing digitization and connectivity in the lighting industry and drive forward our transformation into a high-tech company.”

Leti, an institute of CEA Tech, announced today it has joined the Stanford SystemX Alliance, a network of 100 renowned Stanford University professors and 27 world-class companies, joining forces in a pre-competitive environment to define tomorrow’s research strategies. Leti’s participation bridges the gap between two worlds – academia and industry.

Elemental LED, a leading U.S. based engineering and technology company that manufactures LED lighting solutions, announced today a strategic partnership with Nora Lighting to meet the growing demand for the innovative and award winning SWITCHEX®, the first combination LED driver and LED dimmer switch.  Elemental LED and its manufacturing and wholesale division, Diode LED, provides a wide variety of superior quality linear, task, and accent LED lighting solutions for both commercial and residential applications.

A new $200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan will finance installation of millions of energy-efficient lights in streets and homes and energy-efficient water pumps in farms across India, leading to energy savings of around 3,800 gigawatt-hours per year, equivalent to the annual output of two 300-megawatt coal-fired power stations.