The Guangdong Solid State Lighting Industry Innovation Center (GSC) recently announced plans of establishing a LED patent alliance in China during a talk at LED business patent management forum in Guangdong Province, according to a recent report from Chinese-media Intellectual Property News.

The sapphire industry has seen completely different outcomes among application markets this year, according to a recent United Daily News (UDN) report.

IDTechEx forecasts that the market for plastic and flexible OLED displays will rise to US $16 billion by 2020. This is one of the conclusions highlighted in their latest report OLED Display Forecasts 2014-2024: The Rise of Plastic and Flexible Displays. The new market research report includes detailed 10-year forecast by market segments, but also by display type (AMOLED, PMOLED, etc.). 

Luxonic has just completed a ten-month programme and a £0.75 million (US $1.27 million) investment in expanding its production facilities in Basingstoke to allow for increase in demand for LED luminaires.

GE announced today a research breakthrough that will vastly improve the color and crispness of images displayed on LED devices – everything from cell phones and tablets to televisions. Scientists at GE Lighting and GE Global Research developed a phosphor powder that, when packaged inside an LED, push the picture quality of LED electronics to new heights.

The upfront installation cost of retrofitting workplaces with LED bulbs is the main stumbling block holding back business owners from implementing the change. Although 81.9 percent of those surveyed* currently use or plan to use LED bulbs, high price is the main reason 50.9 percent of business owners delay implementation.

CODLIGHT (www.codlight.com) proudly presents cPulse, the world’s first   smart LED lighting  case for  Android  smartphones exclusively on Kickstarter. With this smart, social,   sleek and interactive smartphone case  cPulse reinvents the way we interact with  lighting. Moreover, cPulse is the very first versatile consumer electronics product printed in 3D.

The Xiamen Torch Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone management committee has signed an “Investment Agreement” with Changelight’, according to a recent company announcement.

China’s consumer electronic manufacturer Xiaomi, who was recently listed on the Nasdaq, has once again detonated a bomb onto the market with the launch of a super cheap LED smartband, according to a Chinese media 25PP.com report.

Positive that the general lighting industry will become a major growth momentum for the LED industry, Credit Suisse projected the LED lighting market penetration rate will reach 56 percent by 2016

The U.S. Department of Energy’s CALiPER program has released a Snapshot Report on LED outdoor area lighting. Based on LED Lighting Facts® data through the second quarter of 2014, the report focuses on outdoor area/roadway luminaires, parking garage luminaires, canopy luminaires, and outdoor directional luminaires. As of July 1, 2014, area/roadway products alone comprised 23 percent of the LED Lighting Facts database, with the other three product categories comprising approximately 7 percent.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are rapidly taking the place of older, less durable and energy-efficient lighting technologies around the world. As chemicals and materials are needed at all stages of the LED fixture's manufacturing process, chemical companies will play a critical role in the future success of the LED industry. The breadth of material requirements means that few market participants have visibility across the entire market, creating the need for a holistic vision of market potential.

Scientists from from Kings College London and UCL discovered in early April 20140 blue lights can restore muscles paralyzed by motor neuron disease and spinal cord  injury. A follow up report published recently by Wall Street Daily Editor-in-Chief Martin Denholm has confirmed the lights used in the study were actually blue LED lights.

Gloucestershire County Council in UK has decided to invest £ 21 million (US $35.77 million) to upgrade sodium streetlights to LEDs over a period of five years, according to a report by Gloucestershire Echo.

Philips Disney light product series launched to woo over children in late September 2013 will now be making its way into the Indian market, as the company’s India arm partners with Disney India, according to a The Times of India report.

Telensa (www.telensa.com), the market-leading ‘smart’ wireless street lighting control company, has appointed Burt Wallace to head up its North American operation in Atlanta, Georgia.

Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced a global distribution agreement with   SunLED, an industry leader in optoelectronic technology.

LuminAID is aiding disaster relief work across the globe in the form of packaged inflatable solar LED lights.

Just as the LED industry is getting comfy with the concept of smart lights, a new company Emberlight has stepped up the game with a socket capable of turning any dimmable light into smart lights--be it incandescent, halogen, CFL or LEDs.

As the LED lighting and backlight industry rebounds, Taiwan’s upstream and downstream LED manufacturers have all expanded to some degree, according to a Commercial Times report. Manufacturers including Everlight, Epistar, Lextar and Harvatek revenue are expected to grow during second half of 2014.

Shenzhen ChangFang Light Emitting Diode Lighting (Changfang Lighting) announced today the company’s Chairman and General Manager Deng Zichang has resigned from his role as GM.

China’s Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) has recently published LED regulations to improve the country’s product certification process. Adjustments have been made to the mandatory regulations to include LEDs, and will become effective starting in Sept. 1, 2014.

Philips will be speeding up the overhaul of traditional light business in favor of LED as more customers switch to energy efficient products, according to a Reuters report.

The markets GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) are involved in include LEDs, smart phones, and solar panels are all multi-billion dollar opportunities with accelerating growth. Each of these markets is driving demand for specialized crystals such as polysilicon, photovoltaic, and sapphire crystals.

Researchers at the U.S. Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) are now studying the impact of different types of lighting in military shelters on soldiers, according to U.S. Army report.

Revolution Lighting Technologies (Revolution Lighting), a leader in advanced LED lighting solutions, today announced that it has entered into a strategic distribution partnership with Ganga Hospitality (Ganga), a leading provider of equipment and financing to hotel, hospital, gas station and convenience store customers.

Major Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Everlight delivered a solid performance in 2Q14, and is likely to set new revenue records in the following quarter as the industry enters conventional peak season, according to a Money DJ report.

Philips lighting comparable sales increased 1 percent year-on-year. LED-based sales grew 43 percent and now represent 36 percent of total Lighting sales, compared to 25 percent in Q2 2013. The EBITA margin, excluding restructuring and acquisition related charges and other items, improved to 8.6 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points year-on-year.

Recently, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and State Key Laboratory of Solid State Lighting (SKLSSL) held a meeting in Beijing to discuss the inception of LED specs, according to a Xinhua.net report.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will be changing LED bulb energy efficiency tests, according to a report from Chinese media Xinhua.net.