In recent years, Chinese LED companies have made significant strides in the international market. However, closer observation reveals that many of these ventures haven’t truly “gone out.†Most Chinese LED firms are still entering overseas markets primarily through branding or OEM/ODM models, with only a handful managing to establish their own brands abroad, which is quite rare.
As China's economy transitions into a new normal, innovation and intellectual property protection are becoming increasingly crucial drivers of economic growth. It’s clear that the era of simply competing on price, as seen domestically, is fading. Instead, leveraging intellectual property and fostering innovation are set to become the norm for future competition.
In the lighting industry, while China may lead in the number of design patents, it’s worth reflecting on whether these certificates alone are enough to prevent copying and encourage corporate innovation. Efforts should focus not just on design capabilities, but also on ensuring these figures reflect the difficulty of enforcement and inspire enterprise innovation.
In 2017, patent disputes in the LED sector surged. Notable cases included legal actions by Japanese companies like Yaguang and Seoul Semiconductor.
Nichia vs. U Ultra Infringement Case
Nichia Corporation and HTC have escalated their legal battle! Earlier this year, Yaguang stated that HTC's flagship phone, the HTC U Ultra, uses a white LED infringing on Nichia's YAG patent. In June, Yaguang filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC in the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany. Nichia accused HTC, along with its subsidiaries HTC Europe Co. Ltd., HTC Germany GmbH, and Digital River Ireland Ltd., of infringing on the white LEDs used in the HTC U Ultra. Specifically, the patent in question is EP 0936682 (German patent DE 69702929). Nichia is demanding compensation for damages. This isn't Nichia's first clash with HTC; they had previously filed a similar lawsuit over the HTC Desire 626 in October 2016.
Seoul Semiconductor Wins Against Kmart
Seoul Semiconductor, a leading Korean LED manufacturer, triumphed in a patent lawsuit against Kmart in the U.S. Kmart, a century-old retail giant with $26 billion in annual sales, agreed to cease selling products that infringed on Seoul Semiconductor's patents related to high color rendering, phosphor combinations, multi-chip placement, and omnidirectional LED bulbs. Kmart also settled disputes regarding patents tied to filament LEDs, which earned Seoul Semiconductor a Nobel Physics Prize-winning technology.
Silicon Nitride Sues Rayvio
On May 23, 2017, Nitride Semiconductors filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of California Federal Court. They alleged that Rayvio's products infringe on their method patent for gallium nitride compound semiconductors and luminescent elements (US 6,861,270), which significantly improves LED efficiency.
New Developments in Mitsubishi Chemical and Intel's Patent War
Mitsubishi Chemical and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) announced that Infineon Optoelectronics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. challenged the validity of their LED red phosphor patent (ZL 201110066517.7) with the Patent Reexamination Board in China. The committee upheld the patent's validity, reinforcing Mitsubishi Chemical's position in the market.
Everlight Sues Seoul Semiconductor
On May 4, 2017, Everlight Electronics filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Seoul Semiconductor in the Mannheim Regional Court in Germany. Everlight demanded an injunction against Seoul Semiconductor's infringing products, including bans on trafficking, manufacturing, importing, exporting, recycling, destroying inventory, and claiming damages.
Jingdian Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Lowe’s
Jingdian Optoelectronics filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Lowe’s Companies and Lowe’s Home Centers in the US District Court for the Central District of California on April 28, 2017. The complaint alleged that Kewler Lighting and Utilitech products sold by Lowe’s infringed on several crystal electricity patents.
Lineng Lighting vs. A Light Source Factory
Lineng Lighting successfully litigated a patent infringement case against Zhongshan Lighting Co., Ltd. and Zhongshan Guzhen Lighting Appliance Factory. The Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court ruled that the defendants infringed on Lineng Lighting's design patent for an "LED bulb decorative cover" (application number ZL201430491047.3). The court ordered the defendants to stop selling infringing products, compensate for economic losses, and destroy inventory and promotional materials.
Seoul Semiconductor Files High-Power LED Patent Lawsuit
Seoul Semiconductor filed a lawsuit against Mouser Electronics in the Düsseldorf Regional Court, alleging infringement of its high-power LED patents. The company sought an injunction, product recalls, destruction of infringing items, and compensation.
Nichia vs. Hongqi and EBV
Nichia announced that the German Düsseldorf Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling that Hongqi Technology's white LED products infringed on Nichia's YAG patent. Hongqi Technology's products, including "HT-V116TW," "HT-U158TW," and others, were found to violate Nichia's patent rights. Additionally, Nichia sued German distributor EBV Elektronik for patent infringement.
Lynk Reaches Settlement with Acuity Brands and Schneider
Lynk Labs, Acuity Brands, and Schneider Electric have settled all claims from a 2015 patent lawsuit. Financial terms remain undisclosed, though Acuity and its affiliates now hold partial licenses to Lynk Labs' patent portfolio.
These developments highlight the growing complexity of intellectual property battles in the LED industry, with both victories and challenges shaping the competitive landscape globally.
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