Seoul wins patent lawsuits against Archipelago

South Korean LED maker Seoul Semiconductor says that it and Seoul Viosys Co Ltd have resolved two patent infringement lawsuits filed in the US Federal District Court for the Central District of California against LED light bulb retailer Archipelago Lighting Inc.

In September 2017, Seoul filed the first lawsuit for infringement of 12 LED patents covering various aspects of Seoul’s Acrich technology. In March 2018, Seoul filed a second lawsuit accusing additional products of infringing eight other Acrich technology patents.

Seoul says that, in the lawsuits, Archipelago acknowledged that LED components used in its LED light bulbs were manufactured by several third-party suppliers. Although Archipelago had no knowledge of any Seoul Semiconductor patents, or the possibility of infringement, it did not dispute that the LED light bulbs in question infringed Seoul Semiconductor’s patents. Archipelago also did not dispute the validity of the relevant Seoul Semiconductor patents and agreed to pay a license fee in order to affirm its commitment to respecting the intellectual property rights of others. Based on these admissions, the California Central district court entered judgments in favor of Seoul in these cases.

Seoul’s asserted patents include technologies for LED drivers for high-voltage operations, Acrich MJT (multi-junction technology – over 6V high-power chip), filament LED bulb structures, LED packaging, LED epitaxial growth, and LED chip fabrication.

Acrich technology enables high-voltage operation with a high power output using only a small number of LED units. Specifically, it utilizes proprietary LED driver technology to enable high-voltage operation, as well as proprietary MJT technology for mounting and integrating many LEDs within a small area. This maximizes the available space in LED products and power efficiency by 20%, facilitating a simple circuit design and significantly reducing the size and cost of LED products.

“While Seoul will continue enforcement actions to prevent unauthorized use of Acrich technology, we will offer a license program with reasonable terms for companies that recognize and respect the value of Acrich technology,” says Nam Ki-bum, executive VP of Seoul Semiconductor’s Lighting Department. “This will promote the distribution of innovative technology products in the market,” he adds. “For young entrepreneurs and small entities that wish to pursue technology innovation, this will help them achieve business success, while Seoul continuously works to encourage a fair competition market where intellectual property rights are respected.”

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Seoul Semiconductor files three patent lawsuits and announces Acrich licensing program

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