Dongbu LED, the lighting affiliate of Dongbu Group, has signed a licensing deal with Osram over patents in LEDs.

The agreement allows Dongbu to use key Osram-owned white conversion-related patents by paying royalties.

Dongbu is the fifth Korean firm to sign such a licensing deal with Osram after Seoul Semiconductor, Lumens, Samsung Electronics and LG Innotek.

''Our top clients, including Sharp, Hitachi, Panasonic of Japan and General Electric (GE) of the United States, strongly asked us to sign a licensing deal with Osram as the German company is the global leader to supply LED packaging and modules,’’ said a Dongbu spokesman, adding the deal will help the group see rises in revenue and profit in LEDs.

''The deal will significantly help us gain big momentum in Japan and the United States ― the two markets that dominate with 60 percent of global LED lighting demand,’’ he said.