On September 22, 2016, Jakuta Diodes LLC of Tyler, Texas filed separate patent infringement complaints against eight companies in the Eastern District of Texas, according to Law360. The nearly identical lawsuits allege that the companies including automakers General Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, American Honda Manufacturing Company Inc., and LED lighting producers Acuity Brands Inc., Cree Inc., and Soraa Inc. infringed U.S. patent number 6,079,854 A1, titled, “Device and Method for Diffusing Light.” The company also brought separate infringement lawsuits against LEDengin Inc. and Teledyne Reynolds, Inc.
The patent relates to a light guide used to reduce glare from LED-based headlights. The device is reportedly retrofittable to existing headlamps. One embodiment of the invention consists of a dispersion device featuring a concave lens. The eight lawsuits claim that the companies produce a total of 14 automotive headlight related products with light guides and lenses, that allegedly infringe the patent.
