Columbia, SC, USA (September 10, 2018) – Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (“SETi”), a leading global innovator of UV LED products and technology, announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against both Bolb, Inc. (“Bolb”) and Quantum Egg, Inc. (“Q-egg”) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In its complaint, SETi asserts that Bolb and Q-Egg are selling UV LED sterilizer devices that infringe on six LED patents. The asserted patents cover fundamental technology for ultraviolet (UV) LEDs, encompassing UV LED sterilizer structures and drivers, chip fabrication, and epitaxial layer growth.
SETi is a pioneer in the UV LED industry. Since its establishment in 1999, SETi has been dedicated to the research and development of patented UV LED technologies. SETi’s expertise in the UV LED area has been recognized with numerous government project grants focused on UV LED technology, including for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
SETi has also collaborated with Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (“SVC”), one of the world’s leading UV LED companies based in South Korea. This collaboration has resulted in the ground-breaking development of Violeds technology, a clean technology suitable for disinfection, deodorization, phototherapy, and curing with the use of UV LEDs. Violeds technology has reportedly been used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aboard the International Space Station.
The market value of these UV LED technologies has been growing exponentially. In 2017, the projected value of the UV LED market was estimated at USD $223 million and is projected to increase to USD $1.224 billion by 2022 – a growth rate of more than 33% per year. The UV LED appliance market has similarly expanded to numerous fields, including curing machines, medical devices, and purification devices. In particular, the sterilization and purification market is projected to increase significantly over the next few years.
“SETi strongly opposes the distribution of products in the market that infringe our patents. For this reason, our company will be undertaking enforcement actions against suspected infringers where appropriate and necessary,” stated SETi officials.
“While SETi is pleased to see market growth for UV LED technologies, it is important that such growth is accompanied by fair competition, including respect of intellectual property,” the officials continued. “SETi believes that an increasing number of products in the marketplace infringe on SETi’s established patents. In order to protect its valuable intellectual property, SETi has committed to monitoring the market for patent infringement and engaging in enforcement activities.”
About Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi)
Sensor Electronic Technology, inc. (SETi), part of Seoul Semiconductor and Seoul Viosys, is the world’s leading supplier of deep UV LEDs – LEDs with emission wavelengths shorter than 365nm. Using proprietary and patented technology, SETi develops, manufactures, and sells standard LED products under the UVTOP® trademark and custom LED products and solutions under the UVCLEAN® trademark into public and private sectors. Certified to AS9100D with ISO 9001:2015, SETi is committed to meeting and exceeding the needs of customers and stakeholders through the highest levels of quality management. SETi develops, manufactures, and offers a broad portfolio of UV-A, UV-B and UV-C LED products and application solutions.
Contacts:
Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc.
Francis Jung
(803) 647-9757 (ext. 155)
[email protected]
North America
Seoul Semiconductor Inc.
Andrew Smith
Marketing Manager
Tel: (901) 831-6614
Email: [email protected]