Patent encirclement and suppression of domestic LED enterprises how to break through?

China LED lighting industry has formed a huge industrial scale, but in this one, really have LED lighting enterprise technology research and development capabilities are few, as LED in LED manufacturing country, patent right is very small.

Recently, the Shenzhen enterprises to fly together with the Japanese announced TOYOTA LED (Tododa Gosei) to achieve a strategic cooperation in supply chain, access to its white patent license. Subsequently, the essence of the securities in the light of the research report, said: the company and TOYOTA signed a white LED license agreement, the future is more effective to expand overseas customers. "And predicted," the company from the LED package to monitor the upstream material into the industry chain to the upstream smile curve".

Patent in hand, overseas business does not worry. Poly fly chairman of the board, said in an interview, the cooperation to build a full range of patent protection from the chip to the LED white light applications, will better support the company and the customer's international expansion.

Chinese LED Industry Patent Alliance chairman Gui Shirong told reporters that the patent, is the problem of industrial development Chinese LED enterprises can not be bypassed; because of the existence of patent barriers, to the domestic LED products into the high-end international market. Domestic enterprises to obtain a patent license, it is really a good news to go out. However, to overcome the patent problem, Chinese LED companies still have a long way to go.

Although the patent gold content is insufficient

It looks like a booming market.

Data show that in 2014, the overall size of China's semiconductor lighting industry reached 350 billion 700 million yuan, of which the size of downstream applications reached 285 billion 200 million yuan; 2014 1 to November, China's total LED lighting products exports of nearly $7 billion 900 million, an increase of 104.52% in the BRIC countries, the Middle East and Southeast Asia and other emerging markets "A new force suddenly rises".

But behind the beautiful data, but also hidden some embarrassment". The scale of China's LED industry is large, but it is still mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the industrial chain, which is the area with low added value. According to industry classification habits, the general LED industry is divided into LED substrate, epitaxial chip, packaging and application, etc.. The researcher at the Ministry of Electronic Science and Technology Information Institute Gong Weiwei introduced by the end of 2013, China LED a total of 36595 patent applications, mainly in encapsulation, application and drive, and epitaxial chip and substrate of the patent is relatively small. Moreover, from the type of patent, utility model and design patent applications accounted for relatively large, the relative lack of invention patents; even in the invention, the chip industry chain, raw materials in the field of patent is hard to find.

The homogenization of competition in downstream areas of the enterprise is more serious, mainly in the price war, resulting in "bad money drives out good money ', but may be crudely made enterprise foothold in the market. Gong Wei told reporters analysis. Lower threshold of the lower reaches of the LED industry, disorderly competition, some of the strength of the enterprise will simply look to overseas markets. However, due to patent issues, overseas, these companies can only focus on the lower reaches of the thin profit, or to buy chips from abroad to circumvent the patent risk.

The concentration of this white light flying LED patent licensing means?

White LED patents are mainly concentrated in two aspects of the chip and phosphor. Semiconductor Lighting Center Director Wang Junxi told reporters, with some white LED fluorescent powder core patent, there are many are in the hands of TOYOTA LED manufacturers such as Nichia and synthetic hands. Foreign LED Big Five - Nichia chemical company, Japan's TOYOTA company, CREE company, the synthesis of PHILPS company and the lumens Germany's OSRAM R & D patent layout of LED earlier, and thus have a large number of patents in LED on the whole industry chain, and cross authorization, forming a protective net. Access to patent licensing, enterprises can expand overseas markets, especially in Europe and the United States market, otherwise, the domestic LED companies are still facing great risk of infringement. "

Patent encirclement so that Chinese companies are injured

People in the industry to describe the LED industry patents as Damour's sword, hanging in the top, may fall at any time.

America's 337 survey". Since 2008, China's LED enterprises suffered many times "337 investigation". "337 investigation" refers to the United States "1930 year tax law" section 337th investigation on imported unfair sanctions, and the practice of the United States is considered the use of intellectual property disputes, an important means to prevent or restrict foreign enterprises to enter the American market or product. Once the United States International Trade Commission on the issue of products issued by the general or limited exclusion order, related products produced by the enterprise will not be able to export to the U.S. market. Gong Weiwei said.

"Our upstream technology patents rarely, industrial development of heteronomy. Internationally, it is difficult to enter the market in Europe and the United States, Japan and South Korea, unless you spend a lot of money to buy someone else's chips and light source, but in this way, you have no competitive advantage in price. "Some worry Chinese LED Industry Patent Alliance chairman Gui Shirong tone," when your industry matures, the developed countries can borrow patent issue, for you to suppress, this is their usual strategy. The establishment of the LED industry patent alliance, it is also necessary to enterprise collaborative innovation, Baotuan heating, to deal with the possible arrival of the LED industry patent war.

Patent layout to add weight to international competition