News: Microelectronics
25 May 2023
EPC sues Innoscience at ITC for GaN power device patent infringement
Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA has filed complaints in the US District Court for the Central District of California and in the US International Trade Commission (ITC) asserting four patents of its foundational patent portfolio against Innoscience (Zhuhai) Technology Co Ltd and its affiliates.
These patents cover core aspects of the design and manufacturing process of EPC’s proprietary enhancement-mode gallium nitride power semiconductor devices. The patents encompass innovations that enabled GaN-based power devices to mature from a research project to a mass-producible high-volume alternative to silicon-based transistors and integrated circuits with GaN devices having higher efficiency, smaller size and lower cost, says EPC.
The complaint recounts how Innoscience of Guangdong China, recruited two EPC employees to serve as its chief technology officer and head of sales & marketing. Shortly thereafter, Innoscience introduced a suite of products visibly identical to EPC’s, boasting virtually equal performance across key performance metrics, says EPC. More recently, Innoscience has claimed that many of its products have “pin-to-pin compatibility with existing products”, including EPC’s products, in a bold and aggressive campaign to market its suite of products to EPC’s customers, the firm adds.
“I have always been a believer in fair cooperation as the foundation of global technology markets,” states EPC’s co-founder & CEO Alex Lidow PhD. “Only through cooperation can we unlock the potential of GaN technology and meet the world’s energy security and sustainability goals. Strong protections and respect for intellectual property are essential to that trust and cooperation,” he adds. “Through these decisive actions, we will reach a fair and reasonable resolution that levels the playing field and ensures a GaN ecosystem that works for all participants in this critical emerging technology,” he believes.
EPC has sued Innoscience in federal court and the ITC for patent infringement, seeking damages and barring Innoscience from importing its infringing suite of GaN products into the USA.
EPC claims that, in 2010, it put the first commercial GaN transistors and integrated circuits into mass production. The firm now holds 57 US patents and 172 patents worldwide. EPC now has over 100 ICs and discrete transistors available for off-the-shelf delivery.
