Seoul Semiconductor, a domestic light-emitting diode (LED) specialist, announced on the 26th that it has received a patent validity ruling regarding a specific color reproduction technology in a legal dispute with the global brand "Philips Lighting."
Seoul Semiconductor explained that the German Patent Court ruled on the 17th that "all patents claimed to be infringed by Seoul Semiconductor are valid" in a patent nullity lawsuit filed against Seoul Semiconductor by Philips Lighting (now Signify Group). Seoul Semiconductor also noted that on the 19th of last month, the District Court of Düsseldorf in Germany ordered the distribution company Conrad Electronic to recall and destroy all products incorporating the technology sold since March 2017 for seven years in relation to the infringement claims.
This ruling pertains to Seoul Semiconductor's core color reproduction technology. The technology is essential for achieving a color rendering index (CRI) of 70 or higher, used in household and vehicle lighting products as well as IT flash and backlighting. Seoul Semiconductor stated, "The ruling did not specify particular products, and the effectiveness of the ruling applies to all products that infringe the patented technology."
Lee Jeong-hoon, CEO of Seoul Semiconductor, said, "This ruling focuses not simply on the products, but on the patented technology, which applies to all products with a CRI of 70 or higher, not just the Philips brand," and noted, "By also defending against the nullity lawsuit, the rights to the related family patents have become solidified."