Japan-based LED maker Nichia Corporation has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Tokyo District Court targeting white LEDs manufactured by Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd., the largest LED packager in Taiwan.
The Everlight white LED products (GT 3528 series) are imported into Japan and sold by a Japanese company, Chip One Stop, Inc., which is the defendant in the lawsuit. Nichia claims that the LEDs in question infringe Japanese patent no. 4530094.
Nichia initiated the action because it feels that “the recent behaviors of Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese LED chip and package manufacturers in the Japanese market, disregarding and infringing patent rights, has grown intolerable.”
The LED maker says that its latest lawsuit is “one of the means to counter such infringements of Nichia's patents in the Japanese market.” The company “anticipates to file additional lawsuits” against Everlight’s products.
The patent in question relates to the composition of phosphor material used to convert blue LED-chip emission to white light, and is not limited to any particular type of phosphor, says Nichia.
German court orders fine
The District Court Düsseldorf, Germany, has ordered The Republic Group Handelsvertretung GmbH (“TRG”) to pay a fine of EUR 5,000 for selling a white LED (Harvatek HT-U158TW) on its website that infringes Nichia’s YAG patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929).
In January 2011, the court ordered TRG to comply with claims made by Nichia, and to cease and desist the sale of white LEDs that infringed the patent in question. However, continued to offer the Harvatek LED on its website after the judgment.
Nichia lab accredited
Nichia says that its LED Testing Laboratory has been recognized as an accredited laboratory by IAJapan. “Our laboratory meets the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 requirements and will be able to conduct tests for IES LM-80,” said the company.
