A Samsung unit is raising the ante in a patent dispute with a German rival over energy-saving LED lighting amid intensifying legal disputes among global companies jockeying for supremacy in key consumer technologies.
Samsung LED Co said yesterday that it had asked the US International Trade Commission (USITC) to bar products of Osram GmbH and two units from entering the US.
South Korea-based Samsung LED said it had also filed a lawsuit in a US district court in the state of Delaware alleging infringement of its LED patents, seeking unspecified damages.
Samsung LED is targeting Osram, Osram Opto Semiconductors and Osram Sylvania Inc in the actions. Munich-based Osram GmbH is a unit of German industrial engineering giant Siemens AG. Osram Sylvania is Osram’s North American operation, based in Massachusetts.
Last month, Samsung LED sued Osram Korea Co and two local companies that sell its products in South Korea in retaliation for what is said were suits by Osram at the USITC, in the Delaware court and in Germany.
“Samsung LED intends to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights and these lawsuits reflect Samsung LED’s commitment to that enforcement,” the company said in a press release.
Osram could not be immediately reached for comment.
Samsung LED is alleging infringement of eight patents covering what it calls “core” LED technologies used in products such as lighting, automobiles, projectors, mobile phone screens and TVs.
Semiconductor-based LEDs or light emitting diodes, are becoming increasingly popular for their durability and energy-saving capability.
Samsung LED also suggested it could expand the scope of the USITC case.
“As new information becomes available it will continue to evaluate the potential to add additional parties who may be importing, using or selling the accused Osram LEDs in the US market,” the company said in the release.
Samsung LED was established in 2009 as a joint venture between Samsung Electronics Co and Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co.
Such complaints and lawsuits are common in the global technology industry and seldom lead to market disruptions as disputes take months or years to resolve and typically end with payments of licensing fees rather than any import bans.
Still, they highlight the intensity of competition in which technological advantage can give companies a key edge in attracting consumers.
Eastman Kodak Co has an ongoing patent dispute over photo technology at the USITC with Apple Inc and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd.
Samsung companies are taking an aggressive stance in global technology patent wars.
Samsung Electronics is embroiled in multiple complaints and lawsuits with Apple Inc over smartphone and tablet technology. It has also launched legal actions against Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) over alleged patent infringement in liquid crystal displays.
purpose: Tesla’s CEO sought to meet senior Chinese officials to discuss the rollout of its ‘full self-driving’ software in China and approval to transfer data they had collected Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing yesterday on an unannounced visit, where he is expected to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of "full self-driving" (FSD) software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Chinese state media reported that he met Premier Li Qiang (李強) in Beijing, during which Li told Musk that Tesla's development in China could be regarded as a successful example of US-China economic and trade cooperation. Musk confirmed his meeting with the premier yesterday with a post on social media platform X. "Honored to meet with Premier Li
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The chipmaker last month raised its capital spending by 28 percent for this year to NT$32 billion from a previous estimate of NT$25 billion Contract chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電子) yesterday launched a new 12-inch fab, tapping into advanced chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology to support rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) devices. Powerchip is to offer interposers, one of three parts in CoWoS packaging technology, with shipments scheduled for the second half of this year, Powerchip chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) told reporters on the sidelines of a fab inauguration ceremony in the Tongluo Science Park (銅鑼科學園區) in Miaoli County yesterday. “We are working with customers to supply CoWoS-related business, utilizing part of this new fab’s capacity,” Huang said, adding that Powerchip intended to bridge
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV on Friday announced an investment of NT$13.5 billion (US$414.62 million) over the next five years in Taiwan. The first multinational brewing company to operate in Taiwan, Heineken made the statement at a ceremony held at its brewery in Pingtung County. It also outlined its efforts to make the brewery “net zero” by 2030. Heineken has been in the Taiwanese market for 20 years, Heineken Taiwan managing director Jeff Wu (吳建甫) said. With strong support from local consumers, the Dutch brewery decided to transition from sales to manufacturing in the country, Wu said. Heineken assumed majority ownership and management rights
Microsoft Corp yesterday said that it would create Thailand’s first data center region to boost cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, promising AI training to more than 100,000 people to develop tech. Bangkok is a key economic player in Southeast Asia, but it has lagged behind Indonesia and Singapore when it comes to the tech industry. Thailand has an “incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future,” Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangkok. Data center regions are physical locations that store computing infrastructure, allowing secure and reliable access to cloud platforms. The global embrace of AI