The eighth annual SYLVANIA Socket Survey, a nationwide measure of public attitudes about energy-efficient lighting and awareness of lighting trends, was released today by LEDVANCE. The industry-benchmark survey found lighting to be one of the top forms of smart technology Americans own, with a 40% increase since 2015. The results also showed more than 60% of Americans believe smart lighting fits their lifestyle, and 55% confirmed they’re likely to purchase smart lighting when they need new bulbs. 

Illumination Devices (www.illuminationdevices.com), an established innovator and manufacturer of high performance LED light engine technology, has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued US Patent Number 9,338,838 covering a half or quarter-cycle current regulator for non-isolated, line voltage LED ballast circuits.

Premier Holding, the parent company of an ESCO, an energy seller and a reseller in deregulated markets, announces that its 100% owned subsidiary Energy Efficiency Experts (E3) has been awarded the contract to be the material provider of hundreds of LED lights to Inland Star for its 210,000 square foot warehouse in Carson, California. The facility is leased from Prologis Inc. a global industrial real estate investment trust (REIT) who owns, manages and develops approximately 3,000 logistics and distribution facilities across the US, Asia and Europe, serving approximately 4,700 customers across a diverse range of industries.

Loewe is launching a new Ultra HD OLED television called bild 7. The device introduces a new dimension of TV viewing with Loewe VantaVision.

Korean electronic conglomerate LG, a specialist in 65” large OLED TVs, might be incorporating flexible OLED technology in smartphones and tablets by 2017, according to IHS analyst.

Osram’s U.S. branch announced on Twitter recently it kickstarted a social media channel for its separate lighting business entity LEDVANCE.

By the end of the summer of 2016, Northampton in Massachuseets, U.S. plans on replacing all of the city’s public streetlights, over 2,000 lamps, with new LED lights saving the city an estimated US $170,000 in operating costs annually. 

Revolution Lighting Technologies, a global provider of advanced LED lighting solutions, today announced that its division, TNT Energy, is installing a US $4.3 million turnkey LED retrofit Performance Contract with Siemens Industry Inc. Building Technologies Division for the City of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Compared to other manufacturers in the industry, MLS is optimistic about LED market developments and market potential with plans of scaling up LED package production this year from 50 billion PCS to 70 billion PCS, said MLS General Manager Lawrence Lin recently at a strategic partnership agreement signing ceremony with Taiwanese lighting manufacturer YACG at Denwell restaurant last Sunday.

Chinese LED package manufacturer MLS signed a strategic distribution partnership agreement with Taiwanese LED luminaire manufacturer YACG last Sunday at Denwell restaurant, Taipei, Taiwan.

EVERLIGHT filed a declaratory judgment action against Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) for invalidity and non-infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,998,925 and 7,531,960 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Michigan in 2012. These two patents are directed to YAG phosphor being used in LEDs and phosphor concentration. The court on January 19, 2016 denied Nichia’s motions and confirmed the April 22, 2015 jury verdict that all asserted claims of Nichia’s patents were invalid. In addition to the U.S. court ruling, from 2014, EVERLIGHT has continued to receive favorable rulings in Japan and Germany that Nichia’s patents are invalid. 

DOE has just released a market study on OLED lighting, entitled OLED Lighting Products: Capabilities, Challenges, Potential. A related webinar will be held on July 28 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EDT.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Ta Yih Industrial announced they will be partnering on automotive OLED taillights, according to an article by United Evening News.

AIXTRON, a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced today that Chinese optoelectronics manufacturer Xiamen Changelight has successfully finalized the qualification of AIXTRON’s Close Coupled Showerhead MOCVD system AIX R6. 

Waterproof LED strip lighting has been added to the 1000Bulbs.com inventory, making strip lighting accessible for outdoor applications. Submersible waterproof LED strip lights are the newest addition to 1000Bulbs.com’s extensive inventory. The 1-foot, 3-foot, and 16-foot lengths of silicone-coated LEDs are Ingress Protection rated (IP-rated) for significant water exposure. The IP-68 rating means the warm white or cool white strip lights can be safely submerged in water up to 6 feet deep.

The St. Jean granary, built in the middle ages in Angers, France, does not attract as many visitors as the castles of the Loire nearby. Nevertheless, this impressive half-timbered building is greatly appreciated as part of the town's cultural heritage, and is well worth a visit. A new lighting concept has been recently installed to display the interior in all its glory. Different lighting scenarios are available depending on the particular use of this historic building.

LG Display announced it will initiate mass production of plastic OLED (POLED) panels in the first half of 2017, reported Korea Times.

Limited supply of OLED displays in 2017 could cut short Apple’s plans of using the screen in its 2017 iPhones, reported Investor’s Business Daily.

Seoul Semiconductor has successfully revoked Japanese lens maker Enplas’s LED lens patent in Taiwan, adding to a string of legal victories against Enplas in the U.S., Korea, and Europe. As a result of Seoul’s challenge, Enplas’s patent has been revoked in Taiwan.

Shirley Coyle, LC, assumed the office of President of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) starting from July 1, 2016, the international leader in lighting education, standards, publications and professional development. Coyle succeeds Mark Roush.

The U.S. Department of Commerce on June 30 announced appointees to the newly established U.S.–Mexico Energy Business Council. Four appointees are Members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA): Julian Alzate, director of international relations at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc.; R. Craig Breese, president of Honeywell Mexico, Honeywell International Inc.; Vernon Murray, vice president and general manager for Mexico and Northern Latin America at Emerson Process Management; and Darryl Wilson, vice president and chief commercial officer at GE Energy Connections. These NEMA Members, as well as the six others appointed, will serve two-year terms on the council.

Indian officials from two government agencies have cautioned consumers purchasing LED bulbs from local manufacturers to pay special attention to whether the bulbs have the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) label to ensure the bulbs meet photo biological standards and do not cause harm to vision, reported Economic Times.

Aimed at helping customers meet tight project deadlines, MaxLite introduces a Quick Ship Program that provides high quality LED lighting solutions at rapid delivery speed.

The new eLumination™ Series from .708&JDG<:2<133:&SDG<90:.&RE=MC&RI=4921680&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=15294&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">ERG Lighting are driverless AC LED light engines for architectural, display and down lighting that have a flicker index of only 0.15 – less than half of the 0.34 offered by the competition.

Samsung Display has split its OLED business from its less profitable LCD arm, reported Korean Times.

Arianna Tozzi of The Climate Group addresses World Bank observations of LED lighting trends in Brazil. A Forum on ‘Business Modls for Energy Efficient Public Lighting’ was held in São Paulo, Brazil on June 1, 2016. The event was attended by over 250 street lighting stakeholders, including senior representation from over 30 major cities, private sector financiers, development banks and manufacturers.

Hydroponic farming and other vertical farming technologies are viewed by some as the solution to solving the world’s food security issues, and preventing potential food shortages caused by an overpopulated planet. But is indoor farming really as environmental friendly as thought? Is a question recently raised by Washington Post food columnist Tamar Haspel.

Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) and Hirose Radio & Electronics, (“Hirose”), a Japanese corporation manufacturing and selling electronic appliances, have reached an agreement to settle the case which was pending between the parties in the Tokyo District Court (“The Case”). The Case was a preliminary injunctions case, in which Nichia claimed that its Japanese patents Nos. 5177317 and 5610056 (both patents relate to white LEDs using YAG phosphors and will hereafter be referred to as “Nichia YAG Patents”) were infringed by some of the LED lights imported and sold in Japan by Hirose, and sought a preliminary injunction against the importation and sale of infringing products.

June marks the third consecutive month in which NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Conditions Index (EBCI) improved. The current conditions index increased from May’s reading of 53.3 to reach 59.4 in June. More respondents saw change in business conditions, for better or worse, than did so in May. Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported better conditions in June, up from only 20% of those responding in May while 19% indicated worse conditions, up from 13% in the previous month. Forty-four percent noted that conditions were unchanged this month, down considerably from the 67% reporting unchanged conditions in May.

Hanjong Lee, head of Samsung Display (SDC) marketing and sales operations in U.S., shares in this blog entry the outlook for OLED displays in VR market.