Osram sues Samsung, LG over LED tech

LONDON – Osram, a leading manufacturer of lighting and part of Siemens AG, has said it has filed patent infringement law suits against Samsung and LG in the United States and Germany and against LG in Japan. Osram said it would also file a suit against LG in China on Tuesday (June 7).

Osram said in a statement that Samsung and LG group companies infringe Osram patents on white and surface mountable LEDs and that it is seek orders to prevent unauthorized use of its technology and bans on the importation of products that include such LEDs. In addition Osram is seeking financial compensation. The LEDs that Osram alleges infringe end up in such products as LED-blacklit televisions and computer screens, the company said.

The patents cover such things as the electrical and thermal connection and structure of the LEDs as well as the conversion of blue light from the LED chip into white light by the use of phosphors. Typical applications of such white LEDs include backlighting for TV sets and monitors.

"We have a considerable number of patents which we developed in the course of many years of intensive research and development work. Major competitors such as Philips/Lumileds, Cree, and Nichia have acknowledged our strong IP position by entering into cross-license agreements with Osram," said Aldo Kamper, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors, in a statement.

In the 2010 financial year Osram achieved revenues of 4.7 billion euro (about $6.9 billion) and the company has more than 40,000 employees worldwide.


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