Nanosys Files Lawsuit against QD Vision for Patent Infringement
Apr 14, 2016
3 min read
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nanosys, the leader in Quantum Dot technology being used to achieve the highest color gamut and greatly improved energy efficiency for displays, today announced the filing of a lawsuit against QD Vision for infringements of patents and other claims. The suit was filed as case number 3:16-cv-1957 in the United States District Court, Northern District of California on April 14, 2016.
The Nanosys lawsuit alleges QD Vision’s products illegally infringe upon Nanosys’s patent-protected photoluminescent quantum dot materials for light production and related methods. Nanosys holds the original patents on Quantum Dot technology and holds over 293 worldwide patents, including 99 in the United States, including those exclusively licensed by world-leading research institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California. The suit also alleges that QD Vision’s inferior copies pose a significant risk to the Quantum Dots market—a market that is otherwise expected to grow substantially as demand for Quantum Dot technology grows as much as ten-fold over the next 10 years. QD Vision has jeopardized that growth opportunity by creating confusion among customers about the difference between the products of the two companies, and its low-quality products have cast unwarranted doubts about the viability of Quantum Dots as an ultra-high definition technology.
“QD Vision is a poor imitator using technology stolen from Nanosys to produce cheap knockoffs. When QD Vision’s own technology failed, the company chose infringing on Nanosys’ patents over taking the time to innovate,” said Jason Hartlove, President and CEO of Nanosys. “The results speak for themselves. Products using QD Vision’s solution have poor color uniformity, high defect rates in the field and unfortunately, are creating the perception that Quantum Dots are a cheap and inferior quality technology. If consumers come to associate this level of performance with Quantum Dots, then the reputation of the technology in the marketplace will be permanently tarnished.”
Nanosys first focused on Quantum Dot applications for consumer electronics in 2001. In the past 15 years, Nanosys has established itself as the undisputed leader in Quantum Dot technology and has become the world’s leading supplier of Quantum Dots, with over 5 tons of QD concentrate delivered to customers and an existing annual capacity to service more than 18 million 60-inch TVs each year.
Hartlove added, “Nanosys’ Quantum Dots are the key to producing the bright, ultra-high definition, deep saturation, color-uniform images consumers want in a cost-effective way. QD Vision illegally misapplies our technology to peddle low-quality knockoffs.”
Nanosys is seeking an injunction to stop QD Vision’s infringement, destruction of existing inventory, enhanced monetary damages, and a full recovery of its attorneys’ fees in its lawsuit against QD Vision.
QD Vision is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, with additional facilities in Tokyo, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; and Shenzhen, China.
Contacts
Abernathy MacGregor Group
Heather Wilson, 415-926-7961
haw@abmac.com
or
Joe Hixson, 213-630-6550
jrh@abmac.com