Patents affect the everlasting worries of the LED industry
The number of LED patent applications in my country is growing rapidly. The number of applications has exceeded 80,000, with an annual growth rate of more than 30%, higher than the global average. The technical fields are concentrated in packaging and application (accounting for about 88%). From a purely quantitative point of view, it seems that the difference is not big, but upon further analysis, it can no longer be held. Let’s look at CSA A set of data on LED patents released by Research: The top 10 applicants for LED patents filed at the my country Intellectual Property Office are Foxconn Group, Philips, Sharp, Osram, LG, Samsung, Ocean King, AU Optronics, Panasonic and Rongchuang Energy. Among them, there is only Ocean King, a mainland Chinese company (ranked 7th), and its application volume only accounts for the top 10 total. 5%; the total authorization rate of domestic LED patent applications is about 54.8%, and the invention patent authorization rate is 23.3% (41.2% abroad); inventions account for about 22% of authorized patents, and PCT inventions are less than 6%; even among patents in application fields where my country has certain advantages, about 80% are utility model patents, and PCT patents only account for 3%... There are really not many original innovations by my country's LED companies.
Over there, the global competition for patents is intensifying. Several international giants such as Nichia, Toyoda Gosei, Cree, Osram, and Philips control most of the core technologies and patents, and have deployed a strict patent network around the world. According to a statistical report on US LED patents released by iRunway, an intellectual property consulting agency, lighting giants Philips and Cree have the most basic LED lighting patents. The top 15 companies with the largest number of LEDs account for 25% of the total number of patents. These companies also include Samsung, LG, GE, etc. According to the European Patent Office, among global companies' patent applications in Europe in 2013, Philips' total number of applications surged from 12th place in 2012 to 3rd place at a rocket speed, with unrivaled momentum. Currently, more than 30% of its patents are related to lighting.
At the same time, the patent world is still not calm, and the big names are very busy, either looking for trouble with each other, or looking for opportunities to find trouble. For example, Nichia VS Everlight, Boston University VS Samsung and Apple, Lighting Science VS Cree, Bayco VS Philips... However, in the patent dispute, the big players each get what they want, and their status in the world has not changed significantly, and some have even become more stable. After the excitement, those who are injured are always the weak ones who do not have core patents.
Look at the so-called patents that are about to expire. Analysis of these patents shows that these patents are mainly concentrated in the upstream (such as substrate pretreatment technology\buffer layer technology, lateral epitaxial overgrowth technology, light-emitting devices containing nitride semiconductors and phosphors, etc.). Even if it expires, it will not have a big impact on most application companies in my country. Moreover, patent owners will not sit idly by and ignore it. They have already done follow-up patent applications and protection work. Therefore, it is still unclear whether these expired patents can improve the embarrassing situation of Chinese enterprises.
It’s scary to think about it carefully, and my heart keeps sinking, sinking into the dust, and it inevitably becomes desolate...
The patented flower blooms from the dust
However, when people are on an embarrassing road, they must rise up. With the development of my country's LED industry and the improvement of corporate innovation capabilities, the patent environment of the LED industry is also improving. First, LED technology is still developing rapidly and has not yet been finalized. Second, Chinese companies are basically on the same starting line as large foreign companies in some technical branches (silicon substrates, innovative applications, etc.), and patents such as visible light communication and white light positioning are among the best in the world. Third, Chinese companies have begun to shift from passive to active. On the one hand, they have worked hard to improve their technical level and create patents. On the other hand, they have actively carried out global patent layout through mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, patent cooperation, etc. For example, Sanan acquired Luminus of the United States, Zhongming entered into patent cooperation with Philips, and Epistar and Toyota Gosei conducted patent cross-licensing. Fourth, in today's world, win-win cooperation has become the mainstream, and the same is true in the patent world. It is no longer a standout, but a hundred flowers blooming; patent competition has shifted from patent litigation to cross-licensing, and the rich have become friends. Fifth, my country has launched a pilot project on intellectual property rights in the semiconductor lighting industry, and achieved certain results in establishing a patent pool, forming a team to resist patent risks, and exploring patent operations.
So, finally there was a hint of joy in my heart, and I was so happy that a flower bloomed in the dust. I believe that one day, this flower will bloom into hundreds or thousands of flowers, and then turn into a sea of flowers...
There is a saying: Whoever sings the patented song, Philips will be sharp for three years. Unexpectedly, the patented ruthless thing will affect the LED industry forever.
Unexpectedly: there is no way out despite the mountains and rivers, and there is another village with dark flowers and bright flowers. The sun rises in the east and rains in the west, and the LED patent has sunny days.
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