2 May 2016

Cree and Harvatek settle patent dispute and reach license agreement

LED chip, lamp and lighting fixture maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA has reached a confidential settlement in its patent infringement lawsuit with -based LED maker Harvatek Corp.

Harvatek has agreed to a royalty-bearing, worldwide license to the Cree patents-in-suit, ending the lawsuit between the parties. As part of the agreement, Harvatek will pay Cree a license issue fee and ongoing royalties.

"Cree's focus on innovation has led to sophisticated, energy-efficient lighting products and a significant, broad-reaching, LED and LED lighting patent portfolio," says Brad Kohn, VP legal & general counsel for Cree. "Harvatek filed two meritless patent infringement countersuits in California. Both were quickly dismissed with prejudice and with no compensation paid by Cree," he adds. "Cree's original patent infringement lawsuit has now been settled, resulting in a license agreement that properly compensates Cree for the use of our IP."

Cree says that, after many years of intensive R&D, it has developed an extensive LED patent portfolio, with numerous patents still pending. Major LED makers make use of Cree's patented technology and have signed license agreements to secure these rights.

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Cree files lawsuits to protect LED component IP

Tags: Cree LEDs

Visit: www.cree.com/About-Cree/Licensing/Licensees

Visit: www.harvatek.com