Toyoda Gosei Comments on Recent Patent Ruling
Source: Compound Semiconductor staff
Toyoda Gosei has commented on a recent ruling in favor of Nichia in a patent infringement case involving the two companies. The ruling was made by the Tokyo District Court in a civil case relating to a patent describing the electrode arrangement for blue LEDs (Japanese patent no. 2748818). This case, the third of six lawsuits filed by Nichia against Toyoda Gosei, claimed infringement against the patent by the latter company.
Toyoda Gosei released a statement on the ruling, as follows: "Toyoda Gosei finds it regrettable that its claim of non-infringement was rejected in the ruling, and will continue to assert that claim through appeal procedures. It will also continue to pursue its claim regarding the invalidity of the patent in question."
In the ruling, the court awarded Nichia a sum of 100 million yen (around $900,000) and ordered Toyoda Gosei to stop manufacturing and selling the offending product. However, Toyoda Gosei stated that the ruling will have little or no impact on its ongoing business. "This ruling relates to the electrode arrangement of former Toyoda Gosei products and does not apply to any products currently manufactured or sold by Toyoda Gosei," continued the statement. "The ruling therefore does not affect our current LED manufacturing or sales, and so will not cause any inconvenience to our customers."
For more information on the ruling, see: 1. Compound Semiconductor magazine, volume 6 number 7, September/October 2000, page 18.
2. Nichia Chemical Wins LED Patent Case Against Toyoda Gosei http://www.compoundsemiconductor.net/PressReleases/2000/PR09010001.htm
For information on the dispute between Nichia and Toyoda Gosei, see: 1. LED Patent Blues: The Dispute Between Nichia and Toyoda Gosei http://www.compoundsemiconductor.net/archives/5-4final/newsbriefs99-4.htm
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