Osram Opto Semiconductors has filed official actions against the LG group and Samsung group firms in Germany and the United States.
The company has also filed a legal suit against an LG group firm located in Japan and is planning to take legal action against LG in China established on the belief that these firms are violating the essential patent rights. By filing the law suits, Osram aspires to impose its patents on LED technology.
The company, in its lawsuits, mentions that LG and Samsung group firms have violated its patents on surface mountable and white LEDs in Germany and the USA. It added that the LG firms also violated its patents in China and Japan. The company is seeking orders from various courts to stop LG and Samsung from selling the violating LEDs and devices that contain the LEDs such as computer monitors and LED-backlit televisions and to thwart unlawful exploitation of its technology.
Besides the legal actions filed by Osram focusing on LEDs that use technologies guarded by Osram patents, it is also filing for compensation. The technologies protected by the patents include a conversion technology that is utilized to convert the LED chip’s blue light into white light. Applications of white LEDs include display backlighting for monitors and TV sets.
Osram’s Chief Executive Officer, Aldo Kamper stated that the goal of filing legal action is to stop illegal usage of the LED technology. He added that competitors such as Nichia, Cree, and Philips Lumileds have recognized their position and inked cross-license partnerships with the company.