Osram, Toyoda Gosei enter patent agreement

MUNICH, Germany — Siemens subsidiary Osram GmbH and Japanese company Toyoda Gosei Ltd. have agreed to exchange patents for Laser and LED technologies.

The cooperation with Toyoda Gosei relates to indium gallium nitride (InGaN) semiconductor technologies used in the design and manufacturing of semiconductor lasers and LEDs producing white, green or blue light. Toyoda Gosei has developed the world's first blue LED in 1991 and owns protected intellectual property related to this LED type.

With the move, Osram gets access to basic technologies for the industrial production of these LEDs. In return, the company allows Toyoda Gosei to make use of Osram's basic patents on LED and semiconductor laser production as well as of several patents referring to white LEDs.

A few weeks ago, Osram has signed a similar agreement with Seoul Semiconductor, also referring to blue Lasers.

With a separate press release, Osram onnounced it has won a patent dispute with Taiwanese LED manufacturer Kingbright at a court in Düsseldorf. The court ruled that Kingbright has infringed basic patent and utility model rights belonging to Osram Semiconductors and ordered Kingbright to stop all related sales activities in Germany and to destroy its stocks of these products presently in Germany.

Kingbright has filed an appeal against this initial judgment.