Korean LED maker’s winning streak in global patent wars

Seoul Semiconductor Co., the world’s second-largest light-emitting diode (LED) display maker, has scored another win in patent litigation against global companies, marking its consecutive wins in patent battles since 2003.

The South Korean company said on Tuesday that it has won a court case against German retailer Conrad Electronic accused of infringing on its patent.

Last month, the German District of Court of Manheim ordered Conrad to stop selling mobile phones equipped with the flash LED display, which the court acknowledged infringed on Seoul Semiconductor’s patent.

The German retailer also was ordered to recall all the relevant products.

The flash LED has been widely used in smartphone flashlights, automobile headlamps, UV LED home appliances, horticulture applications and outdoor lighting.

The flash LED-equipped applications efficiently extract light emitted from the LED, as well as significantly improving light intensity and brightness, according to the component maker.

Five years ago, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice ruled in favor of Seoul Semiconductor in another litigation over the same technology.

Since 2003, the company listed on Korea’s junior Kosdaq market and its subsidiary Seoul Viosys Co. have scored victories in all of its 99 patent lawsuits it engaged in both at home and abroad.

A recent court case involved ultraviolet (UV) LED products distributed by FTHMM International B.V., a Dutch trading company, which ended in May this year.

Back in 2019, the Korean LED supplier won patent infringement cases in relation to Philips electronic products. 

With LED displays widely adopted into applications, Seoul Semiconductor has grappled with patent litigation over a broader range of consumer products.

Founded in 1992, the company has poured more than 1 trillion won ($760 million) into R&D over the past two decades. It has secured more than 18,000 patents.

Among the patented technologies, Violeds, an ultraviolet clean technology, is increasingly being used in refrigerators, air conditioners and washers by global home appliance brands since it was known to sterilize water or other liquids.

Another notable technology is the WICOP LED. It is designed to directly connect the chip to the printed circuit board without a substrate installed between them. It is now a core technology for small-sized gadgets such as Mini-LED TV 

“We need to keep our eyes open for products sold by manufacturers or distributors, which may use components that infringe on our patents,” said Seoul Semiconductor founder and CEO Lee Chung-hoon.

To display his determination to fight a string of patent litigation, Lee has not cut his hair since 2018.

Meanwhile, its second-quarter operating profit diminished by about one-seventh to 3.7 billion won from a year earlier. Sales declined 5% on-year.

Write to Byung-Keun Kim at bk11@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article