Seoul Semiconductor Files Lawsuit Against Automotive Lighting Platform

ANSAN, South Korea — Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Seoul”) announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against Onyx Enterprise Int’l Corp. (“Onyx”), a distributor of automotive components.

Onyx operates “CARiD.com,” one of the largest online platforms for offering car parts and accessories, which distributes various automotive LED lights, such as, automotive headlamps, taillights, and fog lights.

In its complaint, Seoul asserts that automotive LED products being sold on “CARiD.com” infringe 12 patents – including Seoul’s WICOP (Wafer Level Integrated Chip On PCB) technology, a revolutionary technology co-developed with its subsidiary, Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd.

WICOP technology is the first in the world that enables LED chips to be soldered to a PCB without lead-frames or gold wires. This significantly enhances heat dissipation and fitness for LED lenses. Such innovative benefits have led to widespread applications of WICOP technology in automotive lighting, including DRL and headlamps, as well as other LED products, such as LCD backlights for TV and mobile phones, smartphone flash LEDs, and high power general lighting.

In 2019, Seoul successfully obtained a permanent injunction judgment against the sales of a Philips brand TV product for infringement of WICOP patents in litigation filed against Fry’s Electronics in the Texas Eastern District federal court. In the same year, Seoul also filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Factory Depot, another Philips brand TV product distributor, in the California Central District federal court.

“Several companies’ products described as a CSP (Chip Size Package) are copying Seoul’s patented technology. To prevent the distribution of such products, Seoul has initiated this litigation. Establishing a fair competition culture of respecting intellectual property is essential for young entrepreneurs and small businesses,” said one of Seoul’s IP department Vice Presidents.