Cree and Osram Sign Comprehensive Patent Cross License Agreement
Cree, Inc. and Osram GmbH announce the signing of a comprehensive, worldwide patent cross-license agreement. The agreement underscores each company’s commitment to speeding the adoption of LED lighting while respecting the value and importance of each company’s intellectual property. The cross-license agreement covers patents from both parties in the fields of blue LED chip technology, white LEDs and phosphors, packaging, LED luminaires and lamps, and LED lighting control systems.
“Cree is committed to revolutionizing lighting. Over the last two decades, we have developed innovative, energy efficient LED lighting technology and have protected this technology under international intellectual property laws,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “This agreement can enable our customers to accelerate the LED lighting revolution.”
Cree recently announced a similar broad cross-license agreement with Philips and has existing patent agreements with Nichia and Toyoda Gosei regarding LED technology.
At the other side, OSRAM continues its policy of concluding patent cross license agreements with other large LED manufacturers. In the recent years, the company has already entered into similar agreements with other big players in the LED market like Nichia, Philips and Toyoda Gosei. Such agreements considerably accelerate the spread of LED technology in all application fields. They help companies in the development, production and marketing of new products by mitigating the risk of inadvertently infringing other companies' patent rights. Therefore the customers of OSRAM’s and Cree’s LED products enjoy the benefit of being strongly guarded against adverse effects caused by potential patent disputes about these products
About Cree:
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications.
Cree has more than 1,800 patents issued worldwide and more than 2,600 pending patent applications that address LED chip, component and lighting technology, as well as SiC materials, and RF and Power electronics.
Cree’s product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.
For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com. To learn more about the LED Lighting Revolution, please visit www.creeledrevolution.com/.
About OSRAM:
OSRAM is one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. Sales in the year ending September 30, 2006 totalled 4.6 billion euros, 88 percent of which came from outside Germany. OSRAM is a high-tech company in the lighting sector. Around 40 percent of sales comes from innovative products. This global player employs around 40,000 people worldwide, supplies customers in some 150 countries and has 49 production facilities in 18 countries (www.osram.com).
About OSRAM Opto Semiconductors:
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Regensburg, is a subsidiary of OSRAM. It offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for the lighting, sensor and visualization sectors. The company has sites in Regensburg, Santa Clara (USA) and Penang (Malaysia). In the 2006 fiscal year (to September 30, 2006) more than 3500 employees of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors produced sales totalling around 500 million euros. (www.osram-os.com).
