LED packaging manufacturers billion light and Japan LED maker Nichia, nearly a decade to around the world including Japan, Taiwan, Germany, the United States patent battle played. Nichia is five of the world's largest LED manufacturers, why spend huge amounts of money, with billion light in the patent war to fight in the end? The reason for him, mainly in the face of the Taiwan region, the mainland LED plant frequently massive expansion, Japan in the capacity has been unable to fight, the only remaining weapons, only patents!
The patent of knowledge economy times has become the supreme asset
Even the foundry Hon Hai's empire, has repeatedly with a number of communications technology patents, sold to Google, although trading has not been announced, but already that, even if foundries, the importance of patent still can not be underestimated.
Terry Gou, namely, that in the era of knowledge economy, patent is an asset, like Intel, Microsoft and Toyota are actively patent layout, are particularly affected by the impact of the economic downturn, will have a structural change in the industry, and research and development, patents and commercialization require five to ten years, and now layout of action will determine the Hon Hai's future.
This year, mainland manufacturers have begun to find the importance of patents. Due to the mainland itself, the domestic market is big enough, the product is not sold in the mainland, and no one cares about the issue of patents, as long as the product can be used, the price is low, the natural will have customers pay. Even if the product is very fast bad, manufacturers and even consumers are accustomed to - because they are cheap, bad buy a good.
However, with the increase in the capacity of the mainland manufacturers, coupled with the market gradually saturated, has begun to appear oversupply, and when manufacturers began to look beyond the mainland market, it suddenly found that there is a market, but it is to see, eat. Because there is no patent products are competitive opponent to apply a lock up order, directly to choke the throat of the mainland manufacturers, even if the product is good, and cheap are not used.
In the face of the Taiwan area, the LED factory, frequently the massive expansion, Japanese manufacturers can only play cards with patent.
Cheap useless millet to eat patent stuffy
The most obvious case, when millet and Ericsson in India's patent war. July 2014, Ericsson asked millet pay licensing fees failed, finally direct recourse to the law. On December 8, the Delhi High Court identified millet infringement and issued the injunction, millet and only in India's official website announcement, 1s and red rice note two products will stop the sale. According to estimates, before the millet announced the sale of light, is the amount of pre red rice Note reached 150000.
January 2015, LED packaging plant poly fly optoelectronics and Japan TOYOTA composite (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. signed an agreement in Shenzhen, the two sides reached a strategic cooperation in the supply chain, poly fly photovoltaic and get the white LED patent licensing.
Poly fly optoelectronics was originally a backlight and LED lighting as the main business, a non named of the industry's high level executives pointed out that the poly flying optical will suddenly go with TOYOTA signed a patent agreement, it is likely to be for the mainland's smart phone manufacturers to find ways to solve the problem of export sales.
Industry insiders said, see the millet in India to eat soft shelled turtle,, smart phone manufacturers really quite shocked, have never thought originally do not care about the patent, lethality unexpectedly so strong. However, continental or global LED industry, a market is quite large and important. Based on the interests of the two sides, together with TOYOTA poly fly photoelectric agreement signed a cooperation agreement.
The mainland to resolve the patent barriers?
Another noteworthy event, Jinsha River venture capital joint venture, the acquisition of PHILPS's LED sector Lumileds 80% stake. GSR ventures flag led a number of investment and contains crystal can photoelectric (EPI), too core light (extension), ashineon (package), Dalian three-dimensional (LED lighting and radiating), Shun lighting (LED) lighting, which the crystal can photoelectric most indicators.
Research institutions trendforce lvneng division ledinside research associate storage in super said, GSR ventures successful acquisition of Lumileds, to the LED industry to bring the two main effect: one is the LED manufacturer, have the opportunity to solve the problem of patent, cross foot overseas markets; in addition, the Jinsha River a investment is likely to integrate its resources, increase the strategic partner of Lumileds.
Storage in ultra pointed out, Lumileds itself is one of the five traditional LED patent manufacturers, coupled with the Philips Group and transfer the more than 600 patents to Lumileds trading case. Therefore, Lumileds have for quite a number of such patents. Now if the holding rights by the Chinese, you can get the right to discourse in the global industry competition, which is also likely to be a good opportunity for the mainland LED manufacturers to solve the patent problem, cross the overseas market.
Although the transfer of patent is not directly through the transaction, and still look the same as the original two sides for patent licensing provisions and, but has yet to prove, led factory not only hub capacity, patent has become the focus of vendor lock-in. Once let the mainland manufacturers to get a patent, not only in Taiwan LED plant will directly face the impact, the Japanese LED plant is also reluctant to see.
With Jufei optoelectronics and Toyota signed a patent agreement, the United States GE lighting also began to delegate the tetravalent manganese phosphor patent to outside Japan manufacturers in Asia. Can be found is that Europe and the United States and Japan led manufacturers by the patent barriers is already loose, when more and more cross licensing, no patent manufacturers had to surrender quietly, to withdraw from the market, on the LED industry as a whole is bound to another wave of big reshuffle.