Billion Light, Japan and Asia set off a patent litigation

Taiwan's LED packaging factory Yiguang and Japanese LED packaging plant Nissan issued a press release on November 6, 2013 for YAG patent disputes in China. The patent warfare between the two sides has once again caused concern in the LED industry for patent litigation. Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Institute of Electro-optics believes that the patent disputes faced by Taiwanese factories will not only be due to the fact that they are from Japan, but also need to pay close attention to patents from the Philips Lighting Patent Licensing Alliance and the Zhaga Common Interface which are not “free licenses”. As well as the threat posed by China's massive LED patent applications.

Yiguang and Japan Asia Chemicals launched a litigation war on patent litigation around the world. Nissan released a news message on November 6 stating that the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court rejected Yiguang’s overthrow decision request and maintained 2 patents of Yiya YAG ( ZL97196762.8, ZL03159595.2) Effective decision. Yiguang also issued a press release on the same evening that the remaining YA patents in the first and second trials of the Japan-Asian Conglomerate were only partially effective after being contracted, emphasizing no effect on the layout of Yiguang.

Taiwan's LED packaging plants include Yiguang, Dongbei, and Hong Qi, and both have filed patent litigation with Nichia Chemical. The Institute of Electro-Optics pointed out that one of the major sources of patent threats facing the ED lighting industry in Taiwan is Nichia. With respect to the Japanese-Asian patent layout, the phosphor materials and concentration analysis in the Nissan white light patent group have filed lawsuits against rivals in Europe and the United States, and Japan and Asia have extensively used divisional methods to extend the scope of patents.

With the LED lighting industry taking off and the LED factory actively deploying lighting related patents, ITRI believes that in addition to Japan, Philips, an international LED manufacturer, has also deployed a large number of LED lighting patents globally, and established joint patent rights with others. The Philips Lighting Patent Licensing Alliance promoted patents infringement lawsuits and prompted various international LED manufacturers to license their patents.

While the Zhaga Alliance is in full swing, the Institute of Electro-Optical Studies of ITRI has also forgotten to remind them that there are also many patent risks. Another risk that is worth noting is the potential threat from a large number of Chinese companies applying for patents. According to the Institute of Electro-optics of the ITRI, the number of patent applications in mainland China has risen rapidly in recent years, but the number of patents applied by Chinese manufacturers is currently on average more. For the stage where the weight is not heavy, from the point of view of the type of patent application, Chinese manufacturers still mostly apply for utility model patents, while international companies and Taiwan manufacturers apply for patents based on invention patents.

On the other hand, according to the analysis of the ITRI, Taiwanese manufacturers still have many patents with advantages, such as ITO wafer process and high-voltage LED wafers, which can assume 2W to 10W. It is particularly suitable for light bulb type lamps, and there are also many important patents for the protection of flip chip and GaNon Si in the bonding technology; Zhou Lei’s photonic QuasiCrystal is more patented than the Luminus photonic crystal patent recently acquired by Sanan Optoelectronics. There is an opportunity to obtain better light extraction efficiency and symmetry of the light field; Acer is used for single-sided electrode wire bonding in COB packages and has its own patented layout.

However, compared to the international giants' layout of lighting patents, Taiwanese manufacturers still lack key patents for lighting applications, and ITRI reaffirms its patented A19 bulb light, no-bin technology, and non-deposited fluorescent powder coating. Technology patents are expected to bridge the gap in the industrial patent layout.