It is understood that on December 5, U.S. time, LED packaging manufacturer Hongqi sued LED manufacturer Cree (CREE) and its related companies - Hong Kong Cree and Shanghai Cree Optoelectronics for infringement of Hongqi's US LED patents in the Federal District Court of Northern California.
This is the second time after Everlight that a Taiwanese LED manufacturer has sued a major international manufacturer for infringement in the United States. It is understood that this is Hongqi’s counterattack against Cree’s lawsuit against Hongqi for infringement of six patents in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on September 15 this year.
Hongqi spokesman Zheng Jixiong said yesterday (7th) that Hongqi and Cree had reached an agreement after negotiation. Hongqi believed that Cree was opening its mouth, so it decided to file a lawsuit against Cree in the United States. Wang Binglong, chairman of Hongqi, is the chairman of the Taiwan Optoelectronic Semiconductor Industry Association (TOSIA). Hongqi believed that accepting Cree's conditions would be detrimental to Taiwan's LED manufacturers, so he decided to counter-sue Cree for infringement. As for the details, Hongqi said that it was inconvenient to explain to the outside world.
Hongqi's annual revenue or number of patents are far lower than those of Cree. This time Hongqi attacked with a "small shrimp versus a big whale" attitude, which shows that Taiwanese manufacturers are no longer afraid of patent litigation, but regard it as a business tool and make full use of this asset to bring benefits to the company.
Anna
Anna