Siemens sues Samsung and LG over LED lighting patents

By Geoff Duncan June 6, 2011

Osram LED lighting future city scenario — Image used with permission by copyright holder

German industrial giant Siemens has filed suit against both South Korea’s LG and Samsung in Germany and the United States, alleging the companies are infringing on Siemens LED patents in both back-lit flat-panel LCD displays and in LED lighting. Similar suits are expected to be filed in China and Japan this week.
LED lighting applications are particularly in-demand, with the technology being applied to everything from conventional and automobile lighting to mobile phones, televisions, computer displays, and (of course) digital signage—industry watchers are seeing Siemens’ suits as a move to defend its technology from low-cost manufacturers in CHina and east Asia that are looking to undercut its business.

Philips and other large LED lighting makers license patents from Osram to manufacture their products; LG and Samsung do not.

The lawsuits also come just a few months before Siemens is scheduled to sell off a majority stake in Osram Opto Semiconductors, which is currently the second-largest lighting technology manufacturer in the world, following Philips. The lawsuits might be a tactic to pump up Osram’s value before the company goes on the public stock market in September.

Analysts estimate Osram’s IPO will be valued between $7.5 and $8.5 billion. The sale should be one of the largest IPOs held in Germany in recent years.

Editors' Recommendations

This ultra-thin, ultra-light LG Gram laptop is $450 off at Woot!

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

One of Lenovo’s best-selling ThinkPad laptops is 45% off today

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

If you're on browsing through laptop deals for a machine that will immensely help in boosting your productivity, you may want to check out Lenovo's offer for the popular Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11. It's a powerful device so its original price is $3,319, but a 45% discount from Lenovo brings it down to a more reasonable $1,825. That's $1,494 in savings that you'll be able to spend on software and accessories, but you're going to have to proceed with the purchase right now if you want to make sure that you get it because this is a clearance sale, so there's no guarantee that stocks will still be available tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 challenges the performance of the best laptops with its 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 16GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is similar to what you'll find in top-tier machines. The device comes with a 14-inch touchscreen with WUXGA resolution for sharp details and bright colors, a 1TB SSD for ample storage space for your files, and Windows 11 Pro pre-installed so that you can access the more advanced capabilities of the operating system.

Computing

The world’s first 8K mini-LED monitor has arrived

The Asus ProArt PA32KCX 8K mini-LED professional monitor placed on a desk next to a workstation PC.

When it comes to the best professional-grade monitors, resolution, brightness, and color accuracy are all paramount. Asus is aiming to ace all three (and a lot more) with its newly announced ProArt PA32KCX, which is also the world’s first 8K mini-LED professional monitor.

The 8K resolution is the standout spec, of course. The monitor has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 across its 32-inch screen. One of the only other 8K monitors available that you actually buy is the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K, which came out in 2017.

Computing

This new VR headset beats the Vision Pro in one key way and is half the price

Pimax Crystal Super and Light VR headsets appear on a dark background.

While the Apple Vision Pro offers ultra-high-resolution displays with 23 million pixels, the staggering $3,500 price might inspire you to look for Vision Pro alternatives.

Good news: Pimax just announced two new VR headsets, including a budget model that costs as low as $799 and a more advanced version starting at $1,799. Both are based on the design of one of the best VR headsets currently available -- the Pimax Crystal that launched in May 2023 for $1,599 -- but come with a serious upgrade in terms of resolution.
Pimax Crystal Super