Nichia announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware against Global Value Lighting (GVL) a US-based manufacturer of LED lighting products. Meanwhile, the Japan-based LED maker also confirms its patent in China.

In the lawsuit against Global Value Lighting (GVL), Nichia has asserted a filament LED patent, U.S. Patent No. 9,752,734, as well as 5 patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 6,337,493, 6,870,191, 7,345,297, 7,804,101 and 9,324,791) that cover the design of LED chips.

Nichia filed its application for U.S. Patent No. 9,752,734 in 2005, following researches of filament LED technology. With the increasing popularity of filament LED products in the United States, major manufacturers of lighting products, such as GVL, have entered into the filament lighting market without proper regard for the Nichia’s inventions. Thus, Nichia has initiated enforcement of its foundational filament LED patent to protect its valuable technology and to maintain fair competition in the marketplace.

On the other hand, Nichia’s patent lawsuit against Everlight in China was terminated on June 27, 2019. China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) rendered a decision entirely affirming Nichia’s requests and invalidated ‘547 Patent (docket numbers: 4W108258). After the CNIPA’s decision, Everlight has withdrawn its patent infringement lawsuits filed in China.