Ultravision International, a manufacturer and distributor of LED displays and LED lighting, has filed a patent infringement complaint at the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), seeking remedial orders barring 37 companies from importing, selling and distributing infringing LED display products in the United States.

(Image: Ultravision International)

Ultravision is asking the USITC to investigate whether the companies named in its complaint have imported and distributed Modular LED Display products, including certain components, that infringe U.S. patents held by Ultravision. The USITC is a federal agency in Washington D.C. responsible for investigating unfairly traded imports and providing protection to U.S. industries.

Under Section 337 of the Tariff Act, if the USITC finds that imported products are infringing, it will order U.S. Customs and Border Protection to bar the importation and sale of those products in the United States. The USITC may also issue cease and desist orders, preventing the named parties from selling or distributing infringing products already located in the United States.

“Ultravision fundamentally changed the LED industry by inventing light-weight, modular display panels that eliminate the need for cabinet displays, which are difficult to install and costly to maintain,” said William Hall, CEO and co-founder of Ultravision International. “The incredible demand we’re experiencing across industries tells us buyers recognize the value of buying LED technology from the actual inventor and U.S. manufacturer, rather than products being sold by foreign companies. Foreign-made, modular LED display panels that infringe on Ultravision patents are being sold in America, and this adversely impacts Ultravision’s overall business and affects our ability to hire people here in the U.S.”

The companies involved in this USITC complaint include:

• Manufacturing companies: Shenzhen Absen Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.; Absen, Inc.; Shenzhen AOTO Electronics Co., Ltd.; AOTO Electronics (US) LLC; Barco NV; Barco, Inc.; Cirrus Systems, Inc.; digiLED (UK) Limited, formerly displayLED (HK) Limited; Elation Lighting, Inc.; Glux Visual Effects Tech (Shenzhen) Co.; Ledman Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.; Shenzhen Liantronics Co. Ltd.; Lighthouse Technologies (Hong Kong) Limited; Shenzhen Mary Photoelectricity Co., Ltd.; MRLED, Inc.; Prismaflex International France S.A.; Prismaflex USA, Inc.; Rocketsign Hong Kong Ltd.; Tianjin Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Samsung Electronics America, Inc.; Shanghai Sansi Technology Co., Ltd.; Sansi North America, LLC; Unilumin Group Co., Ltd.; Unilumin LED Technology FL LLC; Yaham Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.; and Yaham LED U.S.A., Inc.

• Private label companies: Formetco Inc.; Leyard Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.; Nanolumens, Inc.; Panasonic Corporation; Panasonic Corporation of America; and Vanguard LED Displays, Inc.

• Distributor companies: ANC Sports Enterprises, LLC; GoVision, LLC; and RMG Networks Holding Corporation

By filing this complaint with USITC, Ultravision is seeking as relief a permanent general exclusion order (GEO) barring from entry into the United States of all infringing Modular LED Displays imported, sold for importation, or sold within the U.S. after importation. It is also seeking a Limited Exclusion Order (LEO) directed to the specific parties accused in this lawsuit. Ultravision is also seeking cease and desist orders, preventing those parties from offering for sale, advertising, marketing, packaging, distribution, maintenance of inventory, or solicitation of any sale of imported infringing Modular LED Displays, whether through traditional retailers, distributors, online sales, or other electronic means.

“Ultravision is proud to play a key role in this new renaissance of bringing more production operations back to America, and with it, more jobs for the U.S. workforce to secure,” Hall said. “Keeping our nation strong requires keeping our workforce employed, and we are committed to ensuring our products are made here in the U.S. by workers who are incredibly skilled throughout the entire manufacturing process. By filing this complaint with the USITC, we have shown that we take our intellectual property very seriously and will continue to aggressively pursue action against any companies that infringe on our patents and impact the livelihoods of our workers.”

Ultravision has already litigated successfully against a significant Chinese infringer. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas recently ordered a Chinese company to pay Ultravision both compensatory and treble damages because of patent violations, and the Court also issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the foreign company, its officers and its affiliated entities from importing products that infringe on Ultravision patents. The Court went further to also issue a permanent injunction that bars customers from using products imported from that company that infringe certain Ultravision patents.