On April 28, 2017, Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH filed a patent infringement claim in Germany at the District Court of Düsseldorf against Mouser Electronic, a global electronic components distributor, which it accused of selling Everlight LED products.
In its complaint, Seoul asserted that Everlight’s Mid-Power LED products are infringing Seoul’s patent rights. Seoul has sought a permanent injunction, damages, and recall and destruction of the allegedly infringing products.
The asserted patent serves to improve the light extraction performance of LED devices by enhancing internal-reflection efficiency, which has been widely used in mid-power and high-power LEDs.
This patent litigation is the second patent infringement litigation by Seoul or its affiliate affecting Everlight’s LED products. In March 2017, Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. filed a patent infringement claim in Germany, accusing high-power LED products manufactured by Everlight as well as other LED manufacturers. These patent litigations underscore Seoul’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property rights against infringement, including products consisting of mid-power LEDs and high-power LEDs.
Nam Ki-bum, VP of the Research Centre at Seoul, said: “Several LED companies have grown rapidly in a short period of time despite a lack of valuable patent portfolios, which is like building a castle on quicksand. There is no underlying foundation for the company’s products. Seoul, however, has been investing 10 percent of its revenue in research and development for many years to develop innovative technology and strengthen our patent portfolio. To support a fair market that respects intellectual property rights, Seoul will continuously monitor and take action against alleged infringers in any countries where infringement occurs.”
