Cree and Feit Settle Patent Dispute and Reach License Agreement

Date Announced: 20 Dec 2016

Feit will pay Cree a license issue fee and ongoing royalties.

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cree, Inc. (CREE), a leader in LED lighting, announced today that it has reached a confidential settlement in its patent infringement and false advertising lawsuit with Feit Electric Company Inc. The settlement ends U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") investigation No. 337-TA-947 (“Certain Light-Emitting Diode Products and Components Thereof”) against Feit and its Asian supplier, Unity Opto Technology Co., Ltd. and the corresponding lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

The agreement also ends Feit’s claims against Cree in litigation filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. As part of the settlement, Feit and Cree have entered into a royalty-bearing license agreement to the Cree patents asserted in the ITC case and in Wisconsin. Feit will pay Cree a license issue fee and ongoing royalties as part of the license agreement, and Cree will receive a license to the Feit filament panel patents. The remaining terms of the agreement are confidential.

“Cree has invested over $1.2 billion in R&D over the past 10 years to create fundamental technology that has enabled the LED lighting revolution, and it is our obligation to protect our intellectual property,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree Chairman and CEO. “This settlement and license agreement recognizes the value of our pioneering technology and ensures we are properly compensated while protecting consumers and Cree shareholders.”

Cree has secured patents for its innovations that are hastening the adoption of energy-efficient technology since the company’s founding in 1987. Cree’s licensing program, which includes over 20 licensing partners, allows other companies to use its proprietary technology, and supports these organizations’ pursuit of new markets and products. Where the license has been publicly announced, Cree licensees are listed on http://www.cree.com/About-Cree/Licensing/Licensees.

Source: Cree

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