Goodbye to LED lighting

[nano mania]

I don't know if this has been brought up here, so here it is.
I'm not trying to be political or anything, but I think it's important for this attack on the aquarium industry to be seen.

PFO lighting closed it's doors on Friday because a long battle with an Aerospace company, Orbitec, who owns a patent on lighting aquariums with LEDs.
This doesn't only affect PFO. Every company that makes LEDs for an aquarium will be affected. If Orbitec wins the case, there is nothing stopping them from sueing other companies like Current, Aqua Illuminators, AquaFX, etc. All of which make a LED in some form.

Is there anything that can be done, as a community, to help?
I don't know how many active members are on RC now but I know it's a lot. Is it time to put those numbers to use?

 

[ds4x4]

There are more and more ways of making circuit boards, leds, controllers and optical lenses coming out all the time there is now way that one company could hold all the patents for this technology..

Look at the Emergency lighting world.. There are lots of companys all dealing and producing LEDS..

how about a link to the article ?

 

[nano mania]

They didn't patent the technology of LEDs. They patented the idea of using LEDs for aquarium illumination.

Lawsuit

Patent

 

[lancer99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14311462#post14311462 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ds4x4
There are more and more ways of making circuit boards, leds, controllers and optical lenses coming out all the time there is now way that one company could hold all the patents for this technology..

Look at the Emergency lighting world.. There are lots of companys all dealing and producing LEDS..

how about a link to the article ?

You obviously know nothing about the state of patent art in the US.

Time to reform those patent laws!

-R

 

[xJake]

There's nothing we can really do. PFO didn't cover their behinds as well as they should've, and now they've left themself open to a potentially devastating lawsuit.

Other companies won't be vulnerable simply because their OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are located outside of the U.S. (versus PFO's lighting systems being both designed and manufactured in the U.S.). The companies that resell these lighting systems (Current, AquaIlluminators, AquaFX, etc.) are considered "distributors" and are fairly well protected from any major legal action(s) against them.

 

[chort55]

The company that patented it knew what they were doing. Heck they have in the wording to include submersible as well, not to mention if they (or anyone else) wanted to get really fancy w/ it... "the housing can be provided with a mechanical cleaning mechanism to periodically "wipe off" organisms from either an enclosed or non-enclosed lighting surface". Yeah... they have it covered to have its own cleaning mechanism even if they wanted it to.
Also, it won't be the end to LED, as the company that ownes the patents from my understanding does make them as well through one of their many divisions. And as stated above it is only a u.s. patent, so if its designed and made outside of the U.S, not really a big deal. And from my understanding patents only allow the holder so long before others can start copying it w/o problems (like Nextels patent on the push to talk/ direct connect, that others have now been allowed to tap into... which lead to their sellout to sprint).

Sorry but I don't feel bad for them honestly. If I owned the patents I'd want them to be honored as well! If solaris or anyone else wanted to use the technology they should have bought the rights to it, not riped it off.

 

[BrassMonkey]

haha @ being able to put a patent on using lights for a reef aquarium.

im gonna patent the glass to make the aquarium.

 

[Playa-1]

Maybe it way kind of dumb to to roll out the LED tank lighting system without first securing the rights to the intellectual property. I would suspect the answer would be for anybody wanting to dabble in the market to strike a deal with the people who hold the patent. I'm along way from forking out that kind of money for one of those lighting systems anyways. I'm closer to knocking a couple holes in the roof and installing a natural lighting system.

 

[chort55]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14312002#post14312002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BrassMonkey
haha @ being able to put a patent on using lights for a reef aquarium.

im gonna patent the glass to make the aquarium.

I'm calling my lawyer to patent farting and burping for me.... and sand, yup all sand (which would over power your patent on glass) LOL

Oh yeah, I want the patent for breathing as well... whoo whoo I'll buy the LED patent w/ that one lol

 

[Flowmaster]

Does this mean PFO closed or did they just shut down production of LED lighting?

 

[Freed]

I'm going to patent natural lighting, the light coming from the sun, eminating to from and forthwith and also any range of light from said source including visual and non visual and any make believe light from said source.

 

[chort55]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14312288#post14312288 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
I'm going to patent natural lighting, the light coming from the sun, eminating to from and forthwith and also any range of light from said source including visual and non visual and any make believe light from said source.

That is a good one but I'm patenting the heartbeat, natural, artifical, and anything in between and beyond...and yes that is along with my before mentioned patent on breathing. Don't really need lighting if you can't afford a heartbeat, or a breath

 

[aklee987]

I'm patenting beer.

 

[lpsluver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14311498#post14311498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nano mania
They didn't patent the technology of LEDs. They patented the idea of using LEDs for aquarium illumination.

Lawsuit

Patent

The patent filing date is in Dec, 2004. If there was any LED lighting tech used anywhere in the world on an aquarium and it is documented then this is proof of prior art and the patent is non-enforceable. Of course having the resources to take it to that end point in another story. I am pretty sure we were talking about LED's before the filing date.

 

[goodtimes2]

It is very unfortunate we live in a world now where the US patent office is evaluated by how many patents they issue rather than fight the potential patent holders on how novel a concept is before they issue a patent. The patent office view is to let company challenge the validity ( Is this ideal really novel ) of a patent in litigation that can cost million of dollars rather than challenge these ideas during the application process. Many companies can not afford to challenge these companies and we end up with less competition. If a patent is issue in the US , than distributors as well as any retail company that is aware of these patent disputes can be sued . The US patent office has the most liberal views in the world on what claims that can be included under patents. Bottom line we will all pay for these incompetent patent examiners and our out of control litigation society. I have seen this happen too many times in other industries.

 

[Freed]

So if I buy a LED light bulb for lighting my hallway and then decide to see if it works on my reef tank I'm good to go right?

 

[Smitty750]

heres the Article:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t185167.html

Orbitec LED:

http://www.orbitec.com/bioproducts_led.html

Orbitec's sister Co and theyre LED aquarium light

http://www.planet-llc.com/pages/sunbow/pages/apollo.htm

and as far as I know its only the I5 version in question anything made out of the states totally legal, and from what I can tel PFO Lighting INC holds no patents on LED aquarium lighting according to the US patent office

 

[Agu]

First of all a company files a lawsuite of this type because the see potential income and don't want to be left out of the money making loop. They will either exploit the money making technology or contract it out.

Second, it's verification of the financial prospects of said technology. Other companies also see the financial gains and have people working on the problems/loopholes so they can get into the business.

Bottom line this will make the aquarium lighting industry more competitive and aggressive as they go for our investment dollar. Yes there will be some short term pain and companies may go under, but in the long term it means more competition, more aggressive pricing, and eventually better products and pricing for us.

At least thats how markets are supposed to work in a capitalistic society ............

 

[Jenisiz]

wow...news of this is spreading everywhere...I suspect this lawsuit won't go very far....

 

[Posidion]

I tend to agree thats how its supposed to work. even if pfo cant ever sell an led for aquariums theres no reason the couldnt call it a hydroponics lighting system for the reefer...............lol.