COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (“SETi”), a leading global innovator of UV LED products and technology, announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against both Bolb, Inc. (“Bolb”) and Quantum Egg, Inc. (“Q-egg”) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In its complaint, SETi asserts that Bolb and Q-Egg are selling UV LED sterilizer devices that infringe 6 LED patents. The asserted-patents cover fundamental technology for ultraviolet (UV) LEDs, encompassing UV LED sterilizer structures and drivers, chip fabrication, and epitaxial layer growth.
SETi is a pioneer in the UV LED industry. Since its establishment in 1999, SETi has devoted itself to the research and development of UV LED patented technologies. SETi’s expertise in the UV LED area has been recognized with its award of numerous government projects focused on UV LED technology, including for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. government (DARPA).
SETi has also collaborated with Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (“SVC”), one of the world’s leading UV LED companies based in South Korea. This collaboration has resulted in the ground-breaking development of Violeds technology, a clean technology suitable for disinfection, deodorization, phototherapy and curing with the use of UV LEDs. Violeds technology has reportedly been used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aboard the International Space Station.
The value of these UV LED technologies has been growing exponentially. In 2017, the projected value of the UV LED market was estimated at USD $223 million and is projected to increase to USD $1.224 billion by 2022 - a growth rate of over 33% per year. The UV LED appliance market has similarly expanded to numerous fields, including curing machines, medical devices, and purification devices. In particular, the sterilization and purification market is projected to increase significantly over the next few years.
While SETi is pleased to see this market growth for UV LED technologies, it is important that such growth is accompanied by fair competition, including respect of intellectual property. SETi believes that there are, unfortunately, an increasing number of products in the marketplace that infringe SETi’s hard-developed patents. In order to protect its valuable intellectual property, SETi has committed to monitoring the market for patent infringement and engaging in enforcement activities.
"We cannot tolerate the distribution of products in the market that infringe our patents. For this reason, our company will be undertaking enforcement actions against suspected infringers where appropriate and necessary.” stated SETi’s officials.
