This research report provides an overview of the patent landscape in the emerging OLED lighting industry. It is an invaluable guide to technology developers, patent departments, licensing departments, and business developers who want to develop technology and patent strategies.

"The OLED Lighting industry is developing fast, with more than 90% of the patents being filed since 2000"

OLED technology is fast becoming a viable choice for energy efficient next generation lighting. While OLED technology was first discovered in the mid 1980s it was only once device architectures and materials systems where commercially available in the late 1990s that OLED technology was considered as a possible next lighting technology. Since 2000 there has been continual increase in technology development of OLED for lighting, largely driven by the traditional lighting companies such as Philips, Osram, GE and Panasonic seeking to secure ultra efficient lighting technology, as well as technology providers such as Universal Display, Cambridge Display Technology, Kodak and Novaled pushing their technology know-how beyond the display sector. This increase in technology and product development has lead to an explosive growth in the number of OLED lighting patents being filed. This increase in IP filings coincides with increases in Government funding of OLED lighting projects that has occurred since 2000, most notably in Europe, The United States, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. Increases in IP filing is driven primarily by companies seeking to claim technology domains that will enable them to move forward unhindered whilst raising the barrier for their competitors.

This research report aims to answers key questions that include