After the white light LED patent era, China LED factory can change the game?

LED industry in the past by Nichia, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (CREE), CREE, TOYOTA, Lumileds and other five companies synthesis cross licensing to form a huge network of any patent, want to sell to the overseas market LED vendors, more or less to pay protection money to smooth line. However, with the patent expires, Taiwan and South Korea Chinese manufacturers rise as patent power, and China, so manufacturers strive to oligopoly pattern has quietly changed.

Five major patent network gradually decline

In case of LED patent litigation mostly these patents against South Korea and Taiwan, Dachang China, China manufacturers, which Nichia strongest, the highest frequency of patent war started. In 2009, Nichia and Seoul semiconductor patent war to end reconciliation, Seoul semiconductor has also become a member of the patent authorization network, past the five angle of patents and trend into six star patterns.

However, with five patent manufacturers industry more and more difficult to operate, other manufacturers began to adopt patent patent licensing fees charged or released from the way of survival. In addition, Nichia is known as the white patent keeper level (YAG patent 925) will expire on July 29, 2017, plus Chinese Taiwan Everlight Nichia holding patents filed for the patent invalid litigation, has successfully ruled the patent invalid in some countries such as the United States, has been greatly weakened the strength of Nichia patent. With the LED manufacturers built the walls begin to collapse over the patent, manufacturers rely on patent barriers in the global LED market summon wind and call for rain glory no longer fear.

Chinese manufacturers are trying to get tickets for overseas markets

In addition to the large key patents will expire, may affect the patent network in the past, the Chinese mainland manufacturers dynamic, but also for the white light patent era brings many variables.

From the LEDinside LED Market Rankings observed, mainland China LED manufacturers large-scale expansion, has been squeezed into the world's top ten. In addition, Chinese mainland companies in recent years through mergers and acquisitions made many overseas companies, such as Chinese electronic information group has Bridgelux, three equity acquisition of Luminus, and TOYOTA authorized and Jufei Ruifeng, showed China mainland companies trying to get tickets to enter overseas markets. In addition, more and more international brand manufacturers began to OEM orders released to mainland China LED manufacturers, and its products export market share gradually increased. The strong rise of Chinese mainland manufacturers poses a great threat to the international manufacturers and other regional manufacturers, and the patent litigation in the future is expected to emerge in an endless stream.

Taiwan's manufacturers, in June 2017, filed a lawsuit against Puri Inc. (Bridgelux), which is understood to include 2835 products widely used in lighting. Puri photoelectric claims in the world with more than 750 LED chip and packaging technology patents, but also with CREE reached patent licensing, its parent company for the China electronic information group. This is a concrete example of mainland China's acquisition of LED from overseas to enter the overseas market, so the follow-up development is worth observing. The "million light" initiative punches, but also highlights the changes in the LED industry territory, manufacturers have adjusted strategies, and actively maintain their advantages.

Japanese and Taiwanese firms turned lawsuits to downstream manufacturers

In recent years, Chinese Taiwan and South Korean manufacturers in the patent litigation strategy, with the industry situation of sudden changes, China Taiwan and South Korean manufacturers due to competitive pressures increase, the cost is not the enemy, China manufacturers, so adopt the initiative called patent litigation, anti blocking through litigation.

Based on the observations of LEDinside, using LED lighting as an example, if the Ming Dynasty factory to export products to Europe, the United States and Japan focus on patent protection in the market, basically no doubt still need to use patent LED, retail and brand lighting will be accepted, so most factories had to choose five major manufacturers, the higher the price of the patent LED. However, considering the cost, some products will also choose Seoul semiconductor, Samsung, LED and LGIT and other Korean manufacturers of LED components. The China Taiwan Everlight because Nichia patent litigation has a favorable judgment, and collocation EPISTAR chip products by customers, global marketing can be sure.

In the past, the LED industry was dominated by lawsuits among competitors, but recently a large number of cases have been directed at the application vendors. In the past, the industry was reluctant to sue the application vendor because the application vendor could be either a competitor's customer or its own customer. When using the LED application vendors always hold a "A label LED with some B companies also use some C companies also use some" mentality, that is since customers will not have the problem of litigation. But in March 2016 the first to break the tradition Nichia, filed a lawsuit against the first North American TV brand Vizio, and also on Feit, Lowe 's, TCL and other manufacturers filed the same patent litigation, including Lowe' s for the North American second DIY pathway, second only to Home Depot. It is understood that the object of a certain degree are used to Nichia products, these cases are still in progress.

This precedent, EPISTAR, Everlight, Seoul semiconductor has also taken a similar strategy. First of all, crystal and Seoul have proposed patent lawsuits for LED filament products, and some of the proceedings have now reached a settlement, but the downstream LED lighting industry has been vigilant. In April 2017, the crystal electric control told the United States channel manufacturer Lowe 's, and the billion light also