The Japanese chemical engineering and manufacturing firm Nichia Corporation has reportedly filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Korean chip manufacturer Everlight.
The lawsuit centres on one of Nichia’s patents, relating to the GT3528 series of white LED products manufactured by Everlight Electronics and sold by Chip One. Nichia’s patent is for the density of the phosphor inside white LEDs and it is quite a wide-ranging patent – as it isn’t restricted to white LEDs which use a particular type of phosphor.
According to the lawsuit, Nichia alleges that Everlight, along with other chip and package manufacturers in China, Korea and Taiwan, has been infringing on its patent rights in a number of its products. In order to counter these infringements, which Nichia calls “intolerable”, the corporation is focusing its lawsuit on the product of one of the largest LED chip and package manufacturers in Taiwan.
It is understood that if this lawsuit is successful – which will mean Everlight will have to rely on its professional indemnity insurance, if the company has a policy in place – Nichia has made it clear that it will file additional lawsuits against Everlight and other companys’ products.