Goodbye to LED lighting

[TheH]

Agu, I don't fully understand what you are saying. How can the market for LED Aquarium Lighting become more competitive when a single company exclusively owns the right to produce this lighting?

Also, I don't understand how they can patent LED Aquarium Lighting. Can somebody patent incandescent aquarium lighting?

 

[gas4544]

Looks like its time for the high tech DIY reefers to come up with plans so we make our own LED aquarium lights. We can already DIY pretty much everythiong else except fish, corals and inverts.

That's a shame about PFO having these problems. They make good products.

 

[Ehaze]

The chinese will make something soon enough!

 

[ganjero]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14312232#post14312232 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flowmaster
Does this mean PFO closed or did they just shut down production of LED lighting?

Apparently they laid off their entire staff, so it seems soon they will completely close. This lawsuit is supposed to be draining their funds really fast.
PFO also stop making other types of aquarium lighting and was completely dedicated to LEDs, so I would guess yes they will be shutting down anytime.

Also the lawsuit affects any other aquarium lighting company, so so much for waiting for the aquactinics T5/LED, and pretty sure Catalina aquariums will stop selling the fixtures that they just released, etc etc

 

[Shmax]

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

Um... yeah... that doesn't exist, anymore.

 

[ganjero]

I think is kind of ridicolous they allowed a patent like that. Its like having a patent for making bulbs, or light fixtures that use certain type of bulb.
PFO simply needs to change the purpose of their fixture and say that is for tanning or illuminating terrariums and not aquariums.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Welcome to the wonderfull world of patent law. Ugh.

 

[Jacsubi]

I think i'll go patent patents. Then I can get those Orbitec junkies out of business for attempting to ruin the Reef LED lighting industry without making an alternative suitable product.

 

[BuddhaKiss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14313020#post14313020 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheH
Agu, I don't fully understand what you are saying. How can the market for LED Aquarium Lighting become more competitive when a single company exclusively owns the right to produce this lighting?

Well once a utility patent has been granted, the patent is valid for 20 yrs from the filing date. Also, if it takes more than 3 years for the examination process, than the inventor can file an extension which will make a utility patent valid for 17 years from grant. So....by 2024, the technology of LED aquarium lighting is fair game for everybody...

In addition, other companies can produce various LED units, they would just have to pay the assignee licensing fees (that is if Orbital Technologies allows it) probably not if they intend on producing their own units.

That's why its very important that when you create something, do a search to see if anything that is even remotely similar to your creation hasn't already been patented, or filed.

The validity of a patent is based on its claims, which looks like Orbital Technologies got it pretty much covered.

 

[Dancing4raiin]

I dont get patents, How can you patent something so simple? Its like having a patent on an mp3 player or am i completly off?

 

[BuddhaKiss]

You'd be surprised what kinds of patents exist out there...I've seen some pretty crazy ones over the years. Matter of fact, a certain brand has patents for live sand. Not necessarily for the sand itself, but for their purifying / processing methods and packaging of the sand. They even have patents for NSW. Again, only for their methods of prepping the water for sale and packaging..

 

[BuddhaKiss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14312636#post14312636 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 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?

lol, yes u are, nobody is gonna take u to court. If you start trying to sell it....well, then u might be in trouble.

 

[conorwynne]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14314509#post14314509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dancing4raiin
I dont get patents, How can you patent something so simple? Its like having a patent on an mp3 player or am i completly off?

It's actually a US patent problem. People (patent trolls) patent "ideas", and they don't even have to be the inventor of the idea either. In fact, they don't even have to have a product, the idea is good enough.

Example, a computerised "list". Yes a page with a list of stuff on it is patented - just like you shopping list in fact. Madness!

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT7028023&id=Szh4AAAAEBAJ&dq=linked+list

 

[recife111]

If the chinese can copy all the current skimmers then i doubt this patent is going to do anything.
Countries like german. italy, china all have led lighting for aquariums.

 

[redfishsc]

I personally don't see how they will be able, long term, to effectively corner the market for simply the IDEA of using LED's over aquaria.

Some have mentioned the fact that non-USA based companies can basically thumb their noses at this company, to which (if it's true) am I grateful.

LED technology just really got rolling for aquaria.


Give it time. Someone will design an LED system that outsmarts this patent.


It may even force them to think in non-traditional ways of doing LED's that leads to a breakthrough. Good things can certainly come out of greedy, pathetic situations.

 

[BrassMonkey]

an easy way around this would be for a company to sell components or diy kits that "could" be used for a led aquarium light.

LED arrays, tasteful looking housing that come in 24",36"48". dimmers and power supplies.

reef central is so large with many useful people on, we could make a official rc led project.

 

[conorwynne]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14314645#post14314645 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by recife111
If the chinese can copy all the current skimmers then i doubt this patent is going to do anything.
Countries like german. italy, china all have led lighting for aquariums.

Indeed, but they could not sell in the US market without paying the patent royalties.

That's a big market to loose out on.

Now there are lots of examples of companies which never sell outside the US, or the EU or whatnot.

Example being half the products you guys buy, dow flake etc, we simply cannot buy it over in the EU, if it was patented, the patent only applies in the US anyway. No biggie.

AFAIK, you can only patent ideas / software / maths in the US.
Could be wrong though.

 

[BuddhaKiss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14314624#post14314624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by conorwynne
It's actually a US patent problem. People (patent trolls) patent "ideas", and they don't even have to be the inventor of the idea either. In fact, they don't even have to have a product, the idea is good enough.

This unfiortunately, is very true. The USPTO used to require a physical scale model of what you're trying to patent...nowadays, a simple drawing (not all patents require this) will do. There is a rather infamous inventor by the name of Jerome Lemelson who was known for doing this. There was one case where he sued some major car manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi) over one of his inventions. They all settled out of court and he made millions

 

[Justplainfishy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14311890#post14311890 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 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.

I thought Aqua Illumination fixtures are made in the US?

 

[wipe]

So I guess this means I wont have an affordable energy efficient light any time soon? I really thought a cool running quiet light was in the near future for me.