Seoul Semiconductor Wins 'No Wire' LED Patent Lawsuit Across Europe
In August 2024, the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) dismissed Everlight’s patent invalidation action against Seoul’s WICOP patent - No Wire LED technology. This decision has once again confirmed the strength of the WICOP patent portfolios registered across 18 European countries.
Since the ruling of the UK Patents Court in 2018, Seoul has won all patent lawsuits against Everlight and its distributor. These victories have spanned across five countries over the past seven years. Seoul has won lawsuits related to WICOP technology applied in lighting, automotive, and display applications, as well as those involving fundamental LED patents, thereby gaining recognition for the strength of Seoul’s patented technology.
The No Wire LED technology is an essential technology used not only in display products such as Micro LEDs, but also in new technologies like ADB headlamps and STOP lamps that communicate with and help protect drivers and pedestrians in the automotive sector.
LEDs opened a new era for optical semiconductors with the development of blue and white LEDs by Dr. Shuji Nakamura, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, contributing to longer lifespans and energy savings across various applications. However, many companies have focused solely on price competitiveness and performance in LED development, ignoring some of the potential health impacts of certain lighting.
Seoul has invested nearly $100 million annually, which is 10% of its sales, in research and development (R&D) over the past 20 years to create new lighting. This investment has led to the successful development of technologies such as SunLike, which produces natural light that can alleviate the health effects of artificial indoor lighting, and No Wire Technology WICOP. With an overwhelming 18,000 patents in the LED industry, Seoul’s unique value in advanced technology has been recognized once again in this litigation.
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