The University of California Santa Barbara is suing five major retailers for the unauthorized distribution of light bulbs.
Researchers at the UC Santa Barbara spent years building a portfolio of patents that cover filament LED bulbs—those “vintage” lights reminiscent of Thomas Edison’s early designs.
And then Walmart, Target, IKEA, Amazon, and Bed Bath & Beyond went and filched them.
LED filament light bulbs mimic the appearance of a standard bulb, but require less energy, create less heat, and distribute light in all directions.
Since their introduction in 2014, the bulbs have grown in popularity, occupying hipster coffee shops and contemporary home decor.
“Retailers have been profiting from the unauthorized sales of this technology since it first became available, despite UC Santa Barbara’s efforts to notify infringers and establish licenses with companies in the lighting industry,” the school said.
So, there’s nothing left to do but sue.
UC Santa Barbara, led by the law office of Nixon Peabody LLP, is the first university to bring legal charges against an entire industry through retail sellers.
“The goal of this campaign is to ensure that UC’s patent rights are respected so it can reinvest in education and research to create more world-changing technologies,” Seth Levy, a partner at Nixon Peabody, said in a statement.
“It also is a message to entities throughout the private sector that university intellectual property rights cannot be infringed with impunity,” he added.
The University of California Santa Barbara isn’t out for blood, though.
On the contrary, the university encourages retailers to sell filament LED light bulbs and continue to make the technology widely available.
They just want credit where credit is due.
Companies that sell the popular product “must respect UC Santa Barbara’s intellectual property rights, and receive authorization … in the form of a license.”
The university is now seeking royalties from all five defendants, the amount of which will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
“Our hope is that these lawsuits demonstrate the importance of respecting the rights of university patent owners,” the institution said. “Companies must appreciate that, when selling technology patented by a university, it is their responsibility to do so only with the proper license agreement in place.”
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