Skip to main content

Nixon Peabody LLP

  • People
  • Capabilities
  • Insights
  • About
Trending Topics
    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    Practices

    View All

    • Affordable Housing
    • Community Development Finance
    • Corporate & Finance
    • Cybersecurity & Privacy
    • Entertainment & Media
    • Environmental
    • Franchising & Distribution
    • Government Investigations & White Collar Defense
    • Healthcare
    • Intellectual Property
    • International Services
    • Labor, Employment, and Benefits
    • Litigation
    • Private Wealth & Advisory
    • Project Finance
    • Public Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Regulatory & Government Relations
    Industries

    View All

    • Aviation
    • Cannabis
    • Consumer
    • Energy
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Infrastructure
    • Manufacturing
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Real Estate
    • Sports & Stadiums
    • Technology
    Value-Added Services

    View All

    • Alternative Fee Arrangements

      Developing innovative pricing structures and alternative fee agreement models that deliver additional value for our clients.

    • Continuing Education

      Advancing professional knowledge and offering credits for attorneys, staff and other professionals.

    • Crisis Advisory

      Helping clients respond correctly when a crisis occurs.

    • DEI Strategic Services

      Providing our clients with legal, strategic, and practical advice to make transformational changes in their organizations.

    • eDiscovery

      Leveraging law and technology to deliver sound solutions.

    • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

      We help clients create positive return on investments in people, products, and the planet.

    • Global Services

      Delivering seamless service through partnerships across the globe.

    • Innovation

      Leveraging leading-edge technology to guide change and create seamless, collaborative experiences for clients and attorneys.

    • IPED

      Industry-leading conferences focused on affordable housing, tax credits, and more.

    • Legal Project Management

      Providing actionable information to support strategic decision-making.

    • Legally Green

      Teaming with clients to advance sustainable projects, mitigate the effects of climate change, and protect our planet.

    • Nixon Peabody Trust Company

      Offering a range of investment management and fiduciary services.

    • NP Capital Connector

      Bringing together companies and investors for tomorrow’s new deals.

    • NP Second Opinion

      Offering fresh insights on cases that are delayed, over budget, or off-target from the desired resolution.

    • NP Trial

      Courtroom-ready lawyers who can resolve disputes early on clients’ terms or prevail at trial before a judge or jury.

    • Social Impact

      Creating positive impact in our communities through increasing equity, access, and opportunity.

    • Women in Dealmaking

      We provide strategic counsel on complex corporate transactions and unite dynamic women in the dealmaking arena.

    1. Home
    2. Who We Are
    3. Media
    4. ITC investigates Home Depot, GE, and others for infringing UC filament LED patents

      Media

    ITC investigates Home Depot, GE, and others for infringing UC filament LED patents

    Sep 30, 2020

    LinkedInX (Twitter)EmailCopy URL

    Contact

    Nicholas Braude

    Director of Media Relations

    • Office +1 617.345.1063
    • nbraude@nixonpeabody.com

    The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted a second investigation into leading retailers and suppliers of filament LED lighting products based on a complaint filed by Nixon Peabody on behalf of the Regents of the University of California (UC). The investigation is a major expansion of UC’s campaign to license its patents on filament LED technology developed at UC Santa Barbara and protect authorized sellers from unlicensed competition.

    In this new phase, the ITC will investigate GE Lighting, Savant Systems, Feit Electric, Home Depot, IKEA, and Satco Products for importing and selling imported, unlicensed filament LED lighting products.

    UC launched its enforcement campaign in July 2019 with litigation in the ITC and U.S. District Court against five major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target. These actions resulted in licensing agreements with more than a dozen retailers and suppliers of filament LED lighting products that are now authorized to sell the patented technology. During the initial phase, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office awarded UC four new patents on its pioneering filament LED technology.

    Building on these successes, Nixon Peabody filed a complaint with the ITC on August 31, 2020, expanding the enforcement campaign to address more of the burgeoning market for filament LED lighting products and to include new patents awarded to UC since the launch of the campaign.

    “The ITC’s decision to move forward with this second investigation reinforces the important role universities and their researchers play in creating the technologies that companies regularly produce and sell,” said Seth Levy, a Los Angeles–based partner at Nixon Peabody. “Universities are the nation’s innovation engine and should be compensated like any other patent owner for the use of their inventions, so they can reinvest in future research, innovation, and education. We hope this latest investigation inspires other academic institutions to stand up for their patent rights.”

    UC’s patents in this campaign are fundamental to a new generation of light bulb technology known as filament LED, which replaces traditional incandescent light bulbs while using approximately 90% less energy and typically lasting many years longer. Light bulbs made with UC’s patented filament LED technology are often referred to as “Edison” or “vintage” LED light bulbs because they resemble Thomas Edison’s iconic light bulbs with glowing filaments visible inside glass bulbs. This world-changing technology, invented at UC Santa Barbara, saves money and reduces energy consumption and waste at global scale, making meaningful contributions to solving some of the world’s most serious problems.

    The Nixon Peabody team is led by partners Seth Levy and Shawn Hansen and includes associates Vince Capati and Angelo Christopher, and patent specialist Jason Moore.

    More information about the ITC’s investigation can be found on the ITC website. Additional information on UC’s patent enforcement campaign, including opportunities for businesses to become authorized sellers of UC’s patented filament LED technology, is available at filamentpatent.ucsb.edu.

    Practices

    Intellectual Property

    Professionals in the Practice Area

    View All
    • Seth D. Levy

      Partner / Leader, Intellectual Property Practice
      • Los Angeles
      • Office:+1 213.629.6161
      • slevy@nixonpeabody.com
      Seth D. Levy
    • Daniel J. Schwartz

      Partner / Deputy Leader, Intellectual Property Practice
      • Chicago
      • Office:+1 312.977.4432
      • djschwartz@nixonpeabody.com
      Daniel J. Schwartz
    • Erica J. Van Loon

      Partner / Team Leader, Copyright, Trademark, & Media Litigation
      • Los Angeles
      • Office:+1 213.629.6031
      • evanloon@nixonpeabody.com
      Erica J. Van Loon
    • Janet M. Garetto

      Partner / Co-Lead, Food, Beverage, & Agribusiness IP Team
      • Chicago
      • Office:+1 312.425.8514
      • jgaretto@nixonpeabody.com
      Janet M. Garetto
    • Sasha G. Rao

      Partner
      • San Francisco
      • Office:+1 415.984.8345
      • srao@nixonpeabody.com
      Sasha G. Rao
    View All

    Insights And Happenings

    • Press Release

      Nixon Peabody expands groundbreaking patent enforcement campaign for UC Santa Barbara

      Aug 31, 2020
    • Press Release

      ITC investigates retailers for alleged infringement of UC-patented filament LED technology

      Aug 28, 2019
    • Alert

      University of California initiates groundbreaking patent enforcement campaign in LED lighting

      July 31, 2019

    Subscribe to stay informed of the latest legal news, alerts, and business trends.Subscribe

    • People
    • Capabilities
    • Insights
    • About
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Statement of Client Rights
    • Purchase Order Terms & Conditions
    • Nixon Peabody International LLC
    • PAL
    © 2025 Nixon Peabody. All rights reserved