On December 6, 2021, Wilson Sonsini secured a jury trial victory for Taiwan-based semiconductor company Epistar Corporation against Lowe’s Home Centers in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Epistar is a leading company in the research and development of light-emitting diode (LED) products, including LED filament bulbs. The patents-in-suit—U.S. Patent Nos. 7,560,738, 6,346,771, and 8,492,780—are fundamental to the design and performance of LED filament bulbs. The court found that the Kichler and Utilitech-branded LED filament bulbs sold by Lowe’s infringe all three of the patents-in-suit. The jury awarded Epistar damages in the amount of $2.1 million. Importantly, the jury found that Lowe’s’ infringement was willful.    

The court will decide the issue of obviousness during post-trial briefing.

The Wilson Sonsini team that represented Epistar in the litigation included partners James Yoon, Lucy Yen, and Ryan Smith, and associates Christopher Mays and Celine Liu.