Nichia and OSRAM emphasize the significance of intellectual property (IP) in their business fields and announce their intention to expand the license co-operation.

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Nichia Corporation and OSRAM GmbH have entered into patent cross license agreements in 2002 and 2010. As a result, both companies are allowed to use each other’s patents licensed under the respective agreement in its own nitride-based semiconductor products such as blue, green, and white LED and laser components. Hiroyoshi Ogawa, President of Nichia Corporation and Aldo Kamper, CEO of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors met at the Light+Building in Frankfurt, Germany, and expressed their wish to expand and strengthen the license co-operation.

Hiroyoshi Ogawa and Aldo Kamper share the view that much has happened in this industry since the companies signed the last license agreement in 2010. Aldo Kamper said “To further advance LED and laser technology, Nichia and OSRAM have spent, in total, more than 2.5 billion Euros in research and development since 2011.” The two companies now agree to enter into negotiation of a cross license covering approximately 7000 new patent applications including approximately 2000 granted patents from Nichia and OSRAM (all figures are worldwide figures), covering Automotive, General Lighting, LCD backlights, Display, Medical and Industrial applications and full range of opto-electronics products.

“On all levels of the value chain from semiconductor epitaxy to phosphor material, and packaging, and further downstream technologies, significant progress has been made in the past eight years and protected by a variety of new patents on both sides”, said Hiroyoshi Ogawa. “In order to capture their technological achievements in all existing as well as emerging application areas for opto-electronics products and technologies, Nichia and OSRAM will discuss a cross license that will cover the many additional patents based on Post-2010 inventions”. Aldo Kamper added: “I fully share this view. As a consequence, our companies will be able to leverage each other’s technological advancements, while both companies’ customers will benefit from an industry leading protection in IP related matters”.