In November of 2009, Nichia Corporation filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas alleging that certain white LED-application products marketed Jiawei and its international corporate subsidiaries contain patent infringing white LEDs.
The Jiawei subsidiaries including Shenzhen Jiawei Industries Co. Ltd., a Chinese corporation, Jiawei Technology (HK) Ltd., a Hong Kong corporation, and Jiawei North America Inc., a Canadian corporation (collectively known as “Jiawei”).
LED application products containing white LEDs purchased from MLS Electronics Co., Ltd. (Zhongshan, PRC). It is Nichia's assertion in the lawsuit that these white LEDs infringe Nichia's United States patents.
NICHIA claimed that the products infringe three NICHIA patents directed to white LEDs (U.S. Patent Nos. 5,998,925, 7,026,756 and 7,531,960) and a patent directed to LED chips (U.S. Patent No. 6,870,191).
Nichia reports that it and Jiawei parties have been able to amicably resolve their differences. Under the settlement, JIAWEI will make a payment to NICHIA as a part of NICHIAs legal fees and also agree to enter into a business arrangement.