News Article
Everlight not so bright with Nichia lawsuit
Nichia is on the war path as it files another patent infringement lawsuit, this time against Korean chip manufacturer Everlight for infringing patents against Nichia’s white LED technology.
On August 31, 2011, Nichia Corporation filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Tokyo District Court to enjoin Chip One Stop from infringing Nichia's patent (No. 4530094, or "patent No. 094") with regard to white LED products (product number: GT 3528 series) manufactured by Everlight Electronics, one of the largest LED assembly manufacturers in Taiwan, and imported and sold by Chip One.
Nichia has filed lawsuits regarding infringements of its patents against companies in all regions of the world. In particular, the firm has taken firm steps against infringements of its patents in the Japanese market. Now, however, Nichia is hacked off with Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese LED chip and package manufacturers in the Japanese market, who it says have been disregarding and infringing patent rights.
As one of the means to counter such “intolerable” infringements of Nichia's patents in the Japanese market, Nichia has filed this lawsuit against the product of one of the largest LED package manufacturers in Taiwan. Following this lawsuit, Nichia anticipates filing additional lawsuits against other Everlight products.
Typical white LEDs on the market achieve white light by combining LED chips emitting blue light with phosphors emitting yellow and various other colours.
The asserted patent in this lawsuit (patent No. 094) is a patent on technology regarding the density of the phosphor inside such a white LED, and is not limited to white LEDs using a certain type of phosphor.
