Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. reported that on April 28, 2017, the company’s German subsidiary Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH (“Seoul”) filed a patent infringement complaint at the District Court of Düsseldorf in Germany against Mouser Electronic Inc.
The complaint accused Mouser of selling Everlight LED products that infringe its U.S. patents. In its complaint, Seoul alleged that Everlight’s Mid-Power LED products infringe Seoul’s patent rights. Also, Seoul says that the claim seeks a permanent injunction, damages, as well as recall and destruction of the allegedly infringing products.
The asserted patent relates to enhancing internal-reflection efficiency to improve the light extraction performance of LED devices. Seoul says that the technology has been widely used in mid-power and high-power LEDs.
Latest Patent Lawsuit Seoul’s Second Related to Everlight
Seoul also pointed out in the news release that this latest litigation is the second patent infringement lawsuit by Seoul’s EU affiliate affecting Everlight’s LED products. In March 2017, the company filed a patent infringement claim in Germany, alleging that the high-power LED products which Everlight and others manufactured infringe its patents.
According to Seoul, these patent lawsuits underscore the company’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property against infringement.
Seoul points to the patent infringement claims against Everlight from other LED makers such as Nichia patent litigation.
Nam Ki-bum, vice president of the research center at Seoul Semiconductor, described the weakness of Everlight’s intellectual property portfolio.
Nam Ki-bum said, “Several LED companies have grown rapidly in a short period of time despite a lack of valuable patent portfolios, which is like building a castle on quicksand. There is no underlying foundation for the company’s products.”
Nam Ki-bum, says that unlike Everlight, Seoul spends a portion of its revenue on research and development. Nam Ki-bum said,“Seoul, however, has been investing 10% of its revenue in research and development for many years to develop innovative technology and strengthen our patent portfolio.”
Ki-bum concluded, “To support a fair market that respects intellectual property rights, Seoul will continuously monitor and take action against alleged infringers in any countries where infringement occurs.”
