Cree wins a lawsuit against Nichia....
nni.nikkei.co.jp
Thursday, December 20, 2001
Court Rejects Nichia's Claim Against Sumitomo On Blue LED
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Tokyo District Court on Thursday rejected a demand put forward by Nichia Corp. that Sumitomo Corp. (8053) be prohibited from selling blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) produced by Cree Inc. of the U.S.
In the lawsuit, Nichia claimed that Cree's indium gallium nitride LED infringed its patent on blue LEDs. The structure of the upper part of the light-emitting layer of Cree's LED became the focus of dispute.
Based on measurements and other data submitted by Nichia and Sumitomo, the court ruled that Cree's product differed sufficiently from similar products made according to the tenets covered by Nichia's patent.
Nichia, located in Tokushima Prefecture, filed the suit against Sumitomo in April 2000.
Sumitomo, which currently sells Cree's blue LEDs in Japan at a rate of about 15 million a month, said it hopes to expand sales following the ruling.
For its part, Nichia said it would consider how to respond to the decision.
Nichia, which leads in the development and marketing of blue LEDs, has been trying to keep other firms from using its patents, but has lost several related suits this year.
(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Friday morning edition) |
