Seoul Semiconductor sues Leuchtstark Vertriebs for IP violation

Semiconductor said on June 4 that it has sued European LED distributor Leuchtstark Vertriebs GmbH in a court in Dusseldorf of Germany for patent infringement.
According to the South Korean chip maker, Leuchtstark Vertriebs infringed upon two patents concerning its MEGAMAN product. Semiconductor is also looking into violations by other European manufacturers and sales channels.

These particular patents involve technology for improving LED effectiveness, and are used commonly for mid-to-high power LED products.

“We believe intellectual property must be protected at all costs for proper and ethical business operations,” said Nam Ki-beom, vice president of Seoul Semiconductor’s sales team.

The lawsuit follows a similar suit filed by Seoul Semiconductor in Dusseldorf last year against another company called Everlight GmbH.

As a result, Seoul Semiconductor was able to get Everlight products pulled from the shelves. Those sold after 2012 were retrieved.

Seoul Semiconductor holds a total of 14,000 patents related to LED. Last year, it took legal action against some 90 companies including those manufacturing TVs, smartphones, lighting and autos for patent infringement.

“We plan to continue on this path to protect our intellectual property and core competence,” said Nam.