Citing a previous legal win against GE Current, China’s Super Lighting Group has filed a Complaint for Patent Infringement in U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, including four counts related to U.S. Patents 9,939,140; 10,295,125; 11,112,068; and 9,841,174.
Jiaxing Super Lighting Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., its North American affiliate Obert, Inc., and their parent company Zhejiang Super Lighting Electric Appliance Co. Ltd. collectively comprise Super Lighting Group, who “bring this case to recover damages for willful patent infringement and to stop the unlicensed sale by GE Current of LED tube lamp products”. The Complaint further states “The Super Lighting Group has a patent portfolio of over 1,000 issued patents and patent applications worldwide, primarily related to LED tube lamps.”
Establishing jurisdiction, the Complaint includes an example: “GE current sells the products accused of infringement to at least Elliott Electric Supply Inc… which maintains retail locations throughout this district.” Continuing, “this Court is already familiar with certain asserted patents in this case. Plaintiffs filed Jiaxing Super Lighting Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. et al v. CH Lighting Technology Co. Ltd et al, No. 6:20-cv-00018 (“CH Lighting”) in this District on January 10, 2020, [amended] on March 16, 2020. Plaintiffs asserted, inter alia, the ’125 and ’140 patents.”
The plaintiff has demanded a jury trial, as they did with CH Lighting “which resulted in a jury verdict that all asserted patents were valid and infringed by all defendants, including by GE Current products.”
The new lawsuit details GE Current’s knowledge of the asserted patents, and states that “Despite being placed on notice of the Patents-In-Suit and its infringement of the Patents-In-Suit, GE Current has continued to sell products that infringe the Patents”. The Complaint claims that GE Current “chose to continue to purchase and sell infringing products because the infringing products were less expensive than Plaintiff’s products.”
The four counts detailed against GE Current include numerous teardown images of the allegedly offending products. GE Current products listed in the counts include model number LED14BDT8/G4/840, a UL Type B double-ended TLED operating 120 to 277V. This model is heavily referenced throughout the Complaint, which also cites infringement by other models “substantially similar to” various GE Current lamp models.
Super Lighting Group seeks a judgement against GE Current, an injunction enjoining the company from infringing its patents, an award of damages and attorneys’ fees, and supplemental damages including “for any continuing post-verdict infringement up until final judgment.”