On December 6, 2021, in EPISTAR CORPORATION v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, a unanimous jury in the United States District Court of the Central District of California found that Lowe’s Home Centers LLC (“Lowe’s”) willfully infringed claims of three EPISTAR patents.  Specifically, the jury found that Lowe’s willfully infringed claims 1, 3 and 7 of U.S. Patent No. 8,492,780 (“’780 Patent”), claim 38 of U.S. Patent No. 6,346,771 (“’771 Patent”) and claims 1-3 and 8 of U.S. Patent No. 7,560,738 (“’738 Patent”) by selling 64 different LED filament bulbs manufactured by Zhejiang Yankon Group Co., Ltd.  The jury also found that Lowe’s had failed to prove that claim 38 of the ’771 Patent was anticipated and, thus, confirmed the validity of claim 38 of the ’771 Patent.  The Court, as part of post-trial briefing, will decide Lowe’s obviousness defense with respect to the asserted claims of the ’780 and ’738 Patent.
In its verdict, the jury awarded EPISTAR $2.12 million in reasonable royalty damages, which recognized the value of EPISTAR’s patented technology for LED filament bulbs.  As a result of the jury finding of willful infringement, EPISTAR will be seeking enhanced damages from Lowe’s.

EPISTAR, a leading innovator and manufacturer of LED solid-state lighting technologies, filed the patent infringement complaint against Lowe’s on April 28, 2017. In the complaint, EPISTAR asserted that the accused LED filament bulbs sold by Lowe’s infringed multiple EPISTAR patents including’771 Patent, titled “High Power LED Lamp,” the ’780 Patent, titled “Light-Emitting Device and Manufacturing Method Thereof,” and the ‘738 Patent, titled “Light-Emitting Diode Array Having an Adhesive Layer.” 

EPISTAR has invested millions of dollars in the research and development of LED technologies that led to a world-class patent portfolio consisting of over 4000 issued patents and pending patent applications.  This investment has laid the foundation of LED lighting technologies that have empowered the world-class products that many consumers have come to enjoy, including the LED filament bulb at issue in this case. Innovation is extremely important to the industry and should be respected and awarded fairly to drive the evolution of technology.

EPISTAR is pleased with the result and will continue its enforcement activities against those using EPISTAR’s technology without authorization.

EPISTAR is represented by the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.