June 1, 2022
LEDs are no longer simple light sources. Today’s LED lamps and luminaires are complex devices that include power converters, wireless communications, thermal regulators, and maybe even various types of sensors, in addition to the light emitting diodes at their heart.
And while some manufacturers build their LED solutions completely in-house, many more source parts or even complete solutions in a potentially long value chain from components to finished product. So, who is responsible for ensuring that these products are covered for any relevant IP licenses?
To simplify the licensing process, Signify considers the seller of the finished branded product as being responsible for ensuring that any proprietary technologies are properly licensed. Making licensing even easier, the EnabLED program covers over 500 inventions resulting in more than 3850 granted patents worldwide, so companies joining the program are covered for all our LED-related IP as offered in the program.
What do we mean by a finished branded product? It is a complete product that is being sold to an end-user or consumer. It does not cover LED components, sub-assemblies, or semi-finished products as such. And of course, you only pay royalties for products with your brand and only to the extent that those products benefit from our patents.
This simple, one-stop shop approach goes hand-in-hand with your responsibility of selling these branded products into the market and/or your outsourcing of their manufacturing. One benefit of this approach is that licensees can source products from any supplier.
