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Press Room
Cree Licenses Pioneering White LED Patent to Kingbright Electronic Co., Ltd.
DURHAM, NC, DECEMBER 8, 2005 — Cree, Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) announced today that it has licensed its pioneering white LED patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,600,175, to Kingbright Electronic Co., Ltd., a strategic LED chip customer headquartered in Taiwan. The license authorizes Kingbright to manufacture and sell white LEDs that incorporate Cree chips and is one of several licenses that Cree has granted under the ‘175 patent this year. Kingbright will be using Cree LED chip products exclusively in its white LED product offerings.
“Cree’s ‘175 patent is important to companies manufacturing white LED products,” notes Scott Schwab, Cree vice president and general manager of optoelectronics. “Kingbright has distinguished itself with years of dedicated support for Cree technology and respect for intellectual property. Cree is excited to extend this license to Kingbright and to work together in expanding the market for white solid-state lighting products.”
“Cree’s white LED technology provides major advantages to Kingbright’s product line. Our target market includes major U.S. and multi-national companies for which avoiding intellectual property disputes is critical,” notes Wen Joe Song, Kingbright president and CEO. “We have successfully promoted Cree products for several years and this agreement gives Kingbright a critical IP license required to address the rapidly growing markets for white LEDs.”
About Cree, Inc.
Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors that enhance the value of solid-state lighting, power and communications products by significantly increasing their energy performance. Key to Cree’s market advantage is its world-class materials expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less heat than other available technologies, materials and products.
Cree drives its increased Return on Energy™ (ROE™) technology into multiple applications including exciting alternatives in brighter and more tunable light for general illumination, backlighting for more vivid displays, optimized power management for high-current switchmode power supplies and variable speed motors, and more effective wireless infrastructure for
data and voice communications. Cree customers range from innovative lighting fixtures makers to major electronics components and subsystems manufacturers. Cree’s product families include blue and green LED chips, packaged LEDs, LED backlighting solutions, power switching devices and radio frequency/wireless devices. The company is also currently developing near-ultraviolet lasers. For additional information please refer to www.cree.com.
About Kingbright
Founded in 1980, Kingbright is a leading manufacturer of LED Lamps, SMD Displays, SMD Lamps and other LED related products. With 25 years of consistent hard work, Kingbright has brought its joint effort to full fruition by transforming the company into a well-recognized industrial powerhouse on the international stage. Kingbright's superb products coupled with prompt customer services have continually attracted new customers worldwide.
Cree's technologies in gallium nitride and silicon carbide materials significantly enhance the impact of Kingbright's white and color LEDs for the general illumination, backlighting, and display industries.
For further information, please refer to www.kingbright.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include uncertain demand for products using the licensed technology; the rapid pace of development in the field and the possibility that new technology and competing products may impair demand for products using the licensed technology; and other factors discussed in Cree’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2005, and subsequent reports filed with the Commission.
Cree and the Cree logo are registered trademarks and Return on Energy and ROE are trademarks of Cree, Inc.
Contact:
Raiford Garrabrant
Director, Investor Relations
Cree, Inc.
(P) 919-313-5397
(F) 919-313-5615
email: raiford_garrabrant@cree.com
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