Bridgelux Inc of Fremont, CA, USA (a vertically integrated manufacturer of solid-state light sources for lighting applications) has filed a counter claim against Taiwan-based Everlight Electronics Co Ltd in the US District Court for the Northern District of California seeking past and current damages, and an injunction preventing further sale of certain products in the USA. Bridgelux asserts that many Everlight products including that firm’s 2835 and chip-on-board (COB) product lines infringe on Bridgelux’s United States patent numbers 6,869,812, 8,567,988, 8,256,929 and 8,092,051.
This is in response to Everlight previously (on 10 June) filing a lawsuit alleging that Bridgelux was infringing US Patent 6,335,548 and 7,253,448 (which concern essential and fundamental structures in LEDs) by manufacturing and selling LED products including, for example, the 2835 series packaged surface-mount device (SMD) LEDs. The patented technology is broadly used in high-, mid- or low-power LED products.
Bridgelux says that it has invested heavily in research and product development of fundamental LED technologies, which are the intellectual property of Bridgelux and protected through its patent portfolio. These include light extraction processes, thermal management, and packaging used throughout the solid-state lighting industry across die, surface-mount, array and modular systems.
“Bridgelux is not an imitator. We develop our own technology, and are therefore confident in the strength of our claims, the quality of our intellectual property, and the ability of the US judicial system to reach the appropriate outcome,” comments CEO Tim Lester.
With over 1000 patents owned or licensed, Bridgelux says that it respects the intellectual property process and the intellectual property of others, and will continue to defend itself. It has therefore engaged intellectual property firm Arent Fox LLP to represent it in this matter.
