According to Reuters, the top five retailers, including Amazon and Wal-Mart, were sued by the University of California on Tuesday, allegingly infringing the school’s four patents related to “filament” LED bulbs.
According to reports, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, IKEA and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. were charged with infringing four patents related to “filament” LED bulbs. “filament” LED bulbs consume 90% less energy than conventional bulbs and last for many years longer than conventional bulbs.
These patents are related to the so-called “reinvention of light bulbs” by researchers led by Shuji Nakamura, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Nakamura Shuji won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. The university is filing a lawsuit in the US District Court in Los Angeles for unspecified compensation, including royalties, and hopes that the retailer will sign a licensing agreement.
The University of California also asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate the behavior of these retailers, saying they did not require suppliers to comply with the school’s patents.
Filament LED bulbs are sometimes referred to as “Edison” or “antique” bulbs because they are similar to the bulbs invented by Thomas Edison, with a glowing filament inside the bulb. According to court documents, they were widely sold in the United States until the last five years, and sales in the United States are expected to exceed $1 billion in 2019.
Post time: Aug-05-2019