Micro-LED became a hot keyword in 2016, despite being years away from commercialization. Most in the industry agree this exciting next generation display technology will not be realized for another 3-5 years, HSBC projects the earliest date of commercialization will be around 2019 earliest.

On Dec. 27, 2016, Nichia Corporation ("Nichia") filed four patent infringement lawsuits in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The defendants in the lawsuits are (1) TTE Technology, a US-based LCD TV distributor, and its parent company, TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Limited, a Chinese manufacturer of LCD TVs; (2) VIZIO, a US-based LCD TV maker; (3) Lowe’s Home Center LLC (“Lowe’s”), a US-based retailer of LED lighting and other products, and Lowe’s affiliated U.S. distributor, L G Sourcing, Inc.; and (4) Feit Electric Company, Inc., a US-based LED lighting manufacturer and distributor. In these lawsuits, Nichia asserts that defendants have infringed Nichia’s U.S. Patent No. 9,490,411. Nichia seeks an injunction prohibiting the defendants’ sale and distribution of infringing products. Nichia also seeks damages for defendants’ infringement.

With judgment of Dec. 22, 2016 (docket number I-15 U 31/14), the Düsseldorf Court of Appeal in Germany has confirmed the infringement of YAG Patent EP 0 936 682 (DE 697 02 929) of Nichia Corporation (“Nichia“) by Taiwanese LED manufacturer Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. and its German subsidiary Everlight Electronics Europe GmbH (both “Everlight“) concerning six accused white LED products.

Western Indian state Goa has rolled out a large scale streetlight replacement project, and replaced existing compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and high pressure sodium vapor (HPSV) lamps with LED bulbs, reported Times of India.

Las Cruces, a city located in New Mexico, U.S. has nearly completed replacing 2,700 streetlights before February, reported Las Cruces Sun-News.

Meyer Burger has shipped a CONx TFE thin film encapsulation system consisting of an inkjet printer and PECVD system to an Asian customer for encapsulation of OLEDs and other flexible electronics applications. This latest order confirms the market’s recognition of Meyer Burger’s integral and fully automated thin film encapsulation system.

Power management company Eaton today announced that the company has joined with the NextGen Home Experience® to inspire builders to build the homes of the future today. The 2017 NextGen First to the Future™ online television series will feature and promote the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home program, which educates and encourages builders to build high performance homes that feature energy savings, comfort, health and durability unparalleled in today’s marketplace.

Amerlux introduces the DOSM LED optically sealed module for exterior lighting fixtures that include a downlight component. Individual optics can be directed with controlled optics for precision aiming to accommodate the lighting needs in the strictest outdoor environments.

Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2017 at Las Vegas that runs from Jan. 5-8, 2017 kicked off the first week of the year. Several interesting trends noted at this year’s show, first off smart lighting has been particularly quiet this year. Soraa has been the only company to announce its first smart LED bulb, Helia, which delivers a light color temperature close to natural sunlight.

OLED TVs are making a comeback at the largest consumer electronic show in U.S. which runs from Jan. 5-8, 2017 in Las Vegas, most notable at this year’s show is Korean consumer electronic manufacturer LG is facing new competition from Japanese manufacturers Sony and Panasonic.

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) announced the commencement of mass production at its newly-constructed low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) LCD line in its Hakusan Plant, located in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. JDI had been preparing for mass production since Dec. 1, and commenced mass production on Dec. 23.

Telink Semiconductor, developer of highly integrated low power chips for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, has announced that its ZigBee RF SoC has passed the ZigBee compliant platform tests based on the latest ZigBee stack specification using DSR Corporation’s ZBOSS 3.0 ZigBee 3.0 wireless stack, and thus can start to provide a ZigBee 3.0 SDK (software development kit) to its customers.

Jasco Products, leader in LED Lighting and Consumer Electronic Solutions, today with Energizer® Holdings, announced it has acquired the license to the Energizer brand to produce a range of LED consumer home lighting solutions in the U.S. and Canada. Energizer branded products will be showcased at the Jasco booth for the first time at CES 2017 (Booth #12000, Central Hall). This license agreement includes LED lighting fixtures including direct wire, battery operated, and plug-in solutions.

Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company and the global No. 1 in automotive car lighting, is the exclusive lighting supplier for Oasis, the latest concept vehicle from Rinspeed. The Switzerland-based think tank is known for its visionary mobility concepts and this latest concept vehicle is designed to reimagine what the driverless vehicle experience could look and feel like in the future. Rinspeed will launch the Oasis at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The vehicle will be on display during CES 2017 at the Harman exhibit at the Hard Rock Hotel, Jan. 4-7, 2017.

Nanoco announced recently that it would be showcasing two prototype QD TVs respectively from Philips and Hisense at CES 2017, while partner TCL is presenting its commercialized QD TV at the annual consumer electronic show for the first time.  ll the TVs use Nanoco patented QD film technology manufactured by Wah Hong.

Korean electronic manufacturer LG displayed its premium TV products at CES 2017 this year, showcasing new display LCD TV with “nano cell” technology.

Chinese LED chip maker San’an Opto kicked off 2017 with a new round of product price hikes.

Booth themed “One Technology. A World of Choice.” to showcase nearly 100 products based on the zigbee alliance’s leading interoperability standard, and the first prototypes of Thread products speaking the zigbee alliance’s universal language for the IoT

Nichia a leader in LED technology, has officially launched their new 319A high power LED product series. The 319A series is available through Nichia Sales Offices, Future Lighting Solutions (FLS), a world-class leader and innovator in the distribution and marketing of solid-state lighting technologies, and other partner distributors.

The recent leak of Samsung’s new smartwatch-related patents including a full-length display smartwatch and a hangable smartwatch will definitely catch gadget lovers’ attention, reported AndroidHeadlines. The patents show more than two types of smartwatches with groundbreaking functions that have not been realized on the market before. Instead of remaking the crown of the watch, through those patents released, Samsung takes it up a notch and presents its creativity redeveloping the already existing concepts and designs.

On Dec. 19, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against TAKIZUMI ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. (“Takizumi”), a manufacturer and distributor of lighting fixtures, seeking an injunction and compensation for damages.

Taiwanese LED industry underwent significant changes in senior management including in leading LED manufacturer Everlight, Optotech, and Unistar Opto, reported Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in India intends to roll out a massive streetlight replacement project ahead of the annual holiday Ugadi, which takes place on March 29 this year, reported The Hans India.

One more day to go before the New Years, so how did the industry fare in 2016? LEDinside organized a couple of articles reviewing some top trends in technology advancements and international mergers. A couple trends that are becoming more evident over the past year is different research institutes searching for more energy efficient and lower cost materials, while international mergers between Western technology companies and Chinese investors are under more government scrutiny. We expect protectionism measures to become increasingly common in the next few years, especially under new U.S. President Donald Trump’s government.

Before celebrating the New Year, Chinese-language newspaper UDN in Taiwan has a tradition of conducting an annual poll, requesting readers to pick out a word that best represents the year. For 2016, the Taiwanese people chose the Chinese character Ku (苦), which can be translated as a bitter taste, hardships or even a painful experience. Asked how 2016 went, most in the LED industry would probably agree it was another hard year that left a particularly bitter aftertaste.

The LED industry is facing over market saturation, but automotive lighting company Laster Tech that was recently listed on the Taiwanese bourse reported strong revenue growth during the first three quarters, a stark contrast in an industry where most companies incurred losses, reported Liberty Times Net.

Samsung Electronics is making it clear that quantum dot (QD) technology will be at the center front of its 2017 TV product lineup, reported ZDnet.

LED products have become more popular in Denmark than ever before. People have especially been finding many LED gifts during the Christmas season. They are loving how these lights are easy to use and can illuminate a variety of different LED spots.

As 2016 comes to an end, there were many exciting and surprising technology breakthroughs, based on statistics complied by LEDinside there were at least 10 major technology advancements this year.

LightPath Technologies (“LightPath,” the “Company,” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor, and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) for a purchase price of US $18 million, subject to post-closing adjustments, of which $12 million was paid in cash with the balance in the form of five-year subordinated notes issued to the sellers.