Seoul Semiconductor Obtains Injunction for High-Power LEDs

ANSAN, South Korea — Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. announced another victory in a patent infringement lawsuit against a global electronic components distributor of high-power LEDs in Germany. This continues Seoul’s record of successes in patent litigation.

In October 2022, the Düsseldorf Court issued a preliminary injunction for infringement of Seoul’s patent against various LEDs manufactured by Luminus Devices, Inc., and Lite-On Inc., and distributed by Mouser Electronics, Inc.

Seoul has made huge investments in the R&D of optical semiconductors for the past three decades since its establishment. With the establishment of 18,000 intellectual properties, Seoul is leading the second-generation technology in the LED industry. Particularly, WICOP is a revolutionary patented technology essential for manufacturing Mini-LED, Micro-LED, and intelligent front-lighting systems (ADB, Adaptive Driving Beam). This technology realizes the operation of high-power LEDs without wire, package, or optical lenses.

Lite-On, which manufactured LEDs subject to the injunction, was also sued for patent infringement in U.S. in April 2021 by Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (“SETi”), Seoul’s affiliate. Nitride Semiconductors Co., Ltd., and Nitek, Inc., have also filed patent infringement lawsuits against Lite-On in U.S. courts.

Seoul and its affiliates have prioritized patent enforcement against companies that have refused to take responsibility for selling infringing products, including Seoul’s prior litigation against Enplas Corporation and Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd.

In the past four years, Seoul has secured eight injunctions in Europe against the sale of infringing products, including cell phones, electronic home appliances, and general lighting products.

“We cannot control the fortune of our birth,” said Chung Hoon Lee, Seoul’s founder, and son of a Korean farmer. “However, we can control treating others fairly during our lifetime. While many global companies emphasize corporate responsibility, such as ESG, they simultaneously disregard others’ hard-earned technology in order to gain short-term profits. This prevents fair competition in our society.”