IP, Reports & Roadmaps
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Sep 17, 2008
Nichia Initiates U.K. Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Seoul Semiconductor based on the “Annealing Patent”
Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a new action for infringement and damages in the U.K. against Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Seoul Semiconductor”; incorporated in Korea) and other(s) based on the EP(UK) 0 541,373 patent, “Method of Manufacturing P-type Compound Semiconductor,”(the Annealing Patent) which is one of Nichia’s most important patents and relates to a thermal annealing method for manufacturing a p type GaN-based semiconductor.
The LED products in question are from Seoul Semiconductor’s ACRICHE series, which is produced on a large scale. The Annealing Patent is considered a fundamental and indispensable patent for the mass production of GaN-based LEDs and LDs. Nichia believes that LED chips installed in the white LED products of the ACRICHE series are manufactured using the process disclosed in the Annealing Patent.
Nichia places great significance on the proper protection of intellectual property rights, and will continue to exercise its rights aggressively around the world.
