The “LED patent war” between LG Innotek and Orsam in Germany has escalated to China, followed by Europe, the U.S., and Korea. China is the biggest market as it occupies over 30% of the world’s LED lighting industry.

LG Innotek announced that they lodged a sales prohibition and compensation claim against Osram’s Chinese company and car parts manufacturer, Hella, with the Second People''s Court in Beijing, China on the 28th of July, regarding Osram’s LED products that violated LG Innotek’s patent.

Hella, is a global car parts manufacturer that provides LED headlamps for cars. They are equipped with Osram’s LED packages for famous car manufacturers.

LG Innotek filed a lawsuit regarding five products, including three indoor and outdoor LED lighting and packages, and one car LED headlamp.

Since LG Innotek chose to take head-on action against Osram in China, the “LED patent war” has ended up escalating to 90% of the world’s LED market, including Europe, North America, and Korea.

In particular, the lawsuit includes Hella, which is a German car parts manufacturer,is expected to affect the car industry; besides the LED industry including the existing LED chip and package, and lighting.

At the same time, LG Innotek requested the ITC (International Trade Commission) to prohibit the importing of products manufactured by Osram and its affiliated companies such as Osram Opto Semiconductors and Osram Sylvania. LG Innotek also lodged a sales prohibition and compensation claim with the Delaware Federal Court, together with LG Electronics on the 28th of July.

The subject of litigation includes Osram’s indoor and outdoor lighting and car head lamp that is equipped with eight core LED technologies of these two companies.

The lawsuit at this time was initiated to strongly respond against the patent violation claim lodged by Osram against these two companies in the U.S. and Germany last June.

An LG Innotek official said, “Osram’s LED package and lighting, and LED car headlamps that are distributed in China and the U.S. violate many LED patents of LG. LG Innotek will take firm actions to actively cope with unreasonable patent claims and to stop illegal patent violation behavior.”

These two companies applied for a "relief" with the Korea Trace Commission on 7th of July, which requested an import prohibition of Osram’s LED products, against Osram Korea and Osram product distributors in Korea. On the 24th of June, two companies lodged a patent violation prohibition and compensation claim with the Seoul Central District Court.

Two companies possess around 4,000 patents throughout the LED technology--from core materials to finished products--all of which are based on vertically integrated manufacturing process. LG Innotek takes active measures to protect their intellectual products by using the dedicated organization for LED patents.
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