SEOUL, South Korea–Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“SSC”), a leading global innovator of LED products and technology, has announced that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the European Unified Patent Court against Amazon (Amazon Services Europe), the world’s largest distribution company, seeking an injunction against the sale of infringing products.
SSC and its affiliates have obtained 15 permanent injunctions for patent infringement against various manufacturers and distributors in the past five years from the U.S., Germany, France, and Netherlands courts. Filing lawsuits in individual countries, however, was a less efficient way to enforce patents against infringing products.
The European Unified Patent Court, which was established in June 2023, has comprehensive jurisdiction over European patent litigation. Injunction and damages orders for patent infringement from the Unified Patent Court can take effect simultaneously in 17 European countries, including Germany, France, and Italy. Consequently, SSC can now prevent the distribution of infringing products throughout Europe with a single lawsuit.
Among the over 18,000 patents held by SSC, the asserted patent in this lawsuit relates to a revolutionary technology that freely adjusts the brightness and color of LED lighting products over time. This solution technology is widely used in smart lighting products and color-tunable lighting. Another asserted patent relates to heat dissipation in LED packages, a crucial technology widely used in automotive lighting where heat dissipation is critical.
“As in life, the opportunities in the market should be as fair as possible,” said Han-seon, Park, Executive Vice President of the marketing department of SSC. “Despite emphasis on ESG management, some large LED companies are merely distributing infringing products with little interest in respecting intellectual properties. It hurts us all, even those striving for a society built on fair competition,” she added.
