Press release

Seoul Semiconductor Expands Its European Enforcement and Files Patent Suit against European Distributor of MEGAMAN Lighting Products

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Seoul
Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
(KOSDAQ 046890), a leading global innovator
of LED products and technology, announced that it filed a patent
infringement lawsuit in Germany in the District Court of Düsseldorf
against Leuchtstark Vertriebs GmbH, a European LED lighting distributor,
asserting infringement of Seoul’s LED patents. Seoul is currently
investigating Leuchstark’s OEM/ODM manufacturers as well as other
distributors.

In its complaint, Seoul asserts that this distributor is selling a
“MEGAMAN” brand lighting product that infringes Seoul’s two LED patents.
“MEGAMAN” is an Asian-based LED lamp brand.

The asserted patents relate to one of Seoul’s LED light extraction
patent portfolios. In December 2018, Seoul successfully enforced a
patent in the field of LED light extraction technology, and the District
Court of Düsseldorf ordered an injunction against sales of the accused
Everlight products as well as a recall of any such products sold after
July 13, 2012.

Seoul holds rights to more than 14,000 LED patents, and has notified 90
companies regarding TV, cell phone, lighting, and automobile of patent
infringements in the past year. Seoul has successfully enforced 62
patents in 8 countries in the past 5 years, and consider it almost
impracticable to manufacture LED products without utilizing Seoul’s
patented technology.

 
Technology  

Number of Patents Asserted
in litigation

LED epitaxial layers growth 8
LED Chip structure and fabrication 26
LED Package/Module/Bulb 14
LED Optics (Direct type lens) 7
LED Driver 5
Color Quality 2
TOTAL   62

* Number of patens that Seoul has asserted in the past 5 years’ in
litigation

 

“Respecting intellectual property is essential to establish a fair
competition business culture. We will take all necessary legal actions
against companies that have suspicions of infringing our patents or of
unlawful access to our trade secret by luring employees, as we have done
against Everlight,” said Nam Ki-bum, Executive Vice President of the
Lighting Department at Seoul Semiconductor.

About Seoul Semiconductor

Seoul Semiconductor develops and commercializes LEDs for automotive,
general illumination, specialty lighting, and backlighting markets. As
the second-largest LED manufacturer globally excluding the captive
market, Seoul Semiconductor holds more than 14,000 patents, offers a
wide range of technologies, and mass produces innovative LED products
such as SunLike – delivering the world’s best light quality in a
next-generation LED enabling human-centric lighting optimized for
circadian rhythms; WICOP – a simpler structured package-free LED which
provides market leading color uniformity and cost savings at the fixture
level, providing high lumen density and design flexibility; NanoDriver
Series – the world’s smallest 24W DC LED drivers; Acrich, the world’s
first high-voltage AC-driven LED technology developed in 2005, including
all AC LED-related technologies from chip to module and circuit
fabrication, and nPola, a new LED product based on GaN-substrate
technology that achieves more than ten times the output of conventional
LEDs. UCD constitutes a high color gamut display which delivers more
than 90% NTSC. For more information, please visit www.seoulsemicon.com/en.