In the patent infringement lawsuit involving Nichia's four U.S. design patents against Seoul Semiconductor, the presiding Judge Chesney from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued her rulings on the parties' summary judgment motions on August 22, 2007.

While Judge Chesney's ruling dismissed Nichia's indirect induced infringement claim by Seoul, Nichia's main claim that Seoul's 902 LED directly infringes the design patents at issue will be determined in the upcoming trial, which is currently set for September 10, 2007. Thus, the key issue that will be presented to the jury at the trial is whether the design of the accused product, Seoul's 902 Series LEDs, is substantially similar to any of the claimed designs. The Court's ruling also significantly narrowed the issues to be tried for Seoul Semiconductor's invalidity defense/counterclaim.

Please refer to the article by IP Law 360 for additional information.