I received an email with information that Litepanels (see products) has won an investigation before the ITC and could now block the import of all LED and solid state lighting for photo and video purposes in the US because they have a patent on that technology. The general exclusion order they are seeking could allow Litepanels to make the decision without review or government oversight. They did not rule on the validity of the patents and now Litepanels can stop all imports until the patents can be fully challenged. I am not a legal expert, but you can get all the details from patentfreeled.com and make up your mind if you would support their clause:
Litepanels did not…
- Invent the use of LEDs for use in video, film or photography
- Invent the type of LEDs used in their product
- Invent PWM (pulse wave modulation) used to dim LEDs
- Invent the concept of mounting lights on cameras
- Invent the concept of mounting lights on stands
- Using LEDs as a continuous source of lighting
- Placing multiple LEDS on a rectangular printed circuit board
There are a number of products that demonstrated all of these claims years before Litepanels even filed for their first patent. Furthermore patents are legally only given to those that create something new that someone skilled in the art would not think of. Clearly the claims above are obvious to just about anyone. Litepanels patents are a perfect example of a how dysfunctional the patent office has become.
