Dominant says it's in the clear over Osram patent
Dominant Semiconductors, the Malaysian LED manufacturer accused by Osram of patent infringement, says that the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has cleared the company of any wrongdoing.
Last year, Osram had filed a claim that accused Dominant of using two technologies illegally. The first group of patents covers single-chip white-light emission.
These one-chip LEDs are widely used to backlight displays in cell phone handsets and automotive dashboards, and feature InGaN LEDs whose blue emission is converted into white by a phosphor.
The second group details electrical connections for high-power LEDs that are typically used in automobile lighting.
Dominant subsequently filed a counterclaim, alleging unfair competition by Osram. The Malaysian company accused the German of making false and misleading statements about Dominant's products to its customers and end users in bad faith.
That lawsuit is still pending, although some Dominant customers had already dropped the Malaysian as a supplier.
Last October, American Microsemiconductor bowed to Osram pressure and said that it would not distribute Dominant LEDs.
Following the ITC decision, Dominant says that the way is clear for it to compete with Osram in the global LED market.
