LED Patents - Action Needed!

[Ron99]

Originally Posted by Red Coral Aquariums

One simple sticker on your proposed LED fixture would solve the whole patent issue.

" NOT FOR AQUARIUM USE"

Kevin

If only it were that simple If you built in aquarium friendly features like timers and sunrise/sunset, splash shields etc. they might be able to argue in court that you were in fact targeting the aquarium market. you would have to spend a bunch of money marketing it to the hydroponics industry etc. to protect yourself and be very quiet about aquarium marketing. In practice I don't think it would really work.

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

not in this case Bill, they did not patent a machien, but rather a novel idea. the idea is running 1 or more leds with a controler and powersupply which can alowing for local or remote operation.

this is the problem as it is a blanket patent. and yes it is valid in canada as all US patents are.

Steve

I think the patent is iffy because we have been running timers and controllers on our lights for sunrise/sunset and spectral control by timing different colours of bulbs before so doing that with LEDs is not really novel.

Also, US patents are not enforceable in Canada. They would need a Canadian patent (which they may have applied for. I'm not sure if the Canadian office publishes applications and they can be kept in the application/limbo phase for a while in Canada). But you could not make a product in Canada and sell it in the US, only Canada.