Seoul Semiconductor wins patent infringement lawsuit in U.S.

Seoul Semiconductor has won a patent lawsuit it filed against a U.S. distributor for selling a Philips LED TV display that infringes its patents. The distributor will not be able to sell Phillips TV from now according to the ruling.

The South Korean LED maker said on Tuesday that it has won a permanent injunction against Fry’s Electronics. The judgment, issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, prohibits the distributor from permanently selling Philips TVs and Feit Electric’s lighting products.

In the litigation, Seoul Semiconductor claimed that 19 patents critical for the manufacturing of LED TVs and light bulbs were used in Philips TV and Feit’s lighting products.

This is not the first patent infringement lawsuit the company filed in the U.S. In June, Seoul Semiconductor filed a patent infringement lawsuit against The Factory Depot Advantages in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Korean manufacturer aimed to shut down distribution channels by filing a lawsuit against distributors instead of manufacturers.

“We will respond firmly to those companies, who steal our technologies and manpower, with a strong conviction that we will encourage hope for young startups,” said Seoul Semiconductor CEO Lee Jeong-hoon. Mr. Lee has not had his hair cut for the past 18 months to express his strong will to stop the theft of technology.


Hyoun-Soo Kim kimhs@donga.com