Epistar Corporation based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, reported that it has agreed to settle its patent litigation against All Star Lighting Supplies, Inc., doing business as Luxrite (“All Star Lighting”). In other Epistar news, the company has established the Jingcheng Semiconductor subsidiary to focus on its foundry business, VSCELs, and GaN-on-Si power electronics.
Epistar originally filed a patent infringement complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against All Star Lighting, for selling LED filament bulbs manufactured by Foshan Electrical and Lighting Co., Ltd. In the complaint, Epistar alleged that All Star Lighting purchased and sold LED filament bulbs made by Foshan Electrical, which Epistar said were unlicensed and infringed Epistar’s LED filament patents including (U.S. Patent Nos. 7,355,208, 7,489,068, 7,560,738, 8,791,467, 9,065,022).
Under the terms of the settlement, All Star Lighting agreed to stop purchasing and selling the allegedly unlicensed LED filament light bulbs from Foshan. Epistar says that this settlement protects its investment in the research and development of advanced LED technologies.
Epistar Spins Off Jingcheng Semiconductor
On June 25, 2018, the Board of Directors of Epistar passed a resolution that the NT$1 billion business value will be transferred to the newly founded subsidiary in exchange for a total of 100 million shares of Jingcheng Semiconductor. Jingcheng Semiconductor’s newly issued common share will be traded at NT$10 per share. Also as part of the spin-off, Dr. Ming-Jiunn Jou, the president of Epistar, resigned and will become the president of Jingcheng Semiconductor, and Mr. Chin-Yung Fan will succeed as the president of Epistar. The appointment will be effective July 16, 2018.
Epistar intends the spin-off to commit itself to professional services and improved resource allocation. Dr. Ming-Jiunn Jou, the president of the spin-off company plans to use Epistar Group’s core technologies to concentrate on the development of semiconductor foundry business such as VCSEL and GaN on Si power electronics. Overall the spin-off intends to increase the aggregate revenue, profitability and return on equity (ROE) and maximize the value of Epistar Group for shareholders, customers, suppliers, and employees.
Epistar which has been around for 20 years has had two presidents Dr. Biing-Jye Lee and Dr. Ming-Jiunn Jou. Dr. Biing-Jye Lee had taken the lead for the first 10 years and now serves as the chairman of Epistar. Then, Dr. Ming-Jiunn Jou has managed the company’s operations for the next 10 years, up to the present. The company points out that in that time it has undergone several mergers and has become a leader in LED industry.
Mr. Chin-Yung Fan will serve as the new president of Epistar. Mr. Chin-Yung Fan is currently the vice president of the Sales and Marketing Center and has been working in the company for 20 years. He has been in charge of marketing and quality management as well as InGaN and AlGaInP production.
Epistar said in a news release about the new company president, Mr. Chin-Yung Fan, “With his extensive leadership and deep industry experience, he will establish and execute a clear vision for the company moving forward and will create a new page. In the coming 20 years, we will extend to different businesses based on Epistar Group’s core technologies and will evolve from“Actualize LED Potential” to“Actualize III-V Semiconductor Potential.”
