January 14, 2015 – Cree Inc. says it has filed complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin against Feit Electric Company Inc. and its Asian supplier, Unity Opto Technology Co. Ltd., to “curb infringement on Cree’s patented technologies and to address Feit’s false and misleading advertising claims that certain of its products meet Energy Star specifications”.

Cree says that, through a series of tests, it determined that certain Feit bulbs carrying the Energy Star label fail performance requirements such as omni-directional light distribution. When we asked a Cree spokesperson for more information on the testing performed, they replied, “Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that topic.”

As part of the complaint, Cree is requesting that the ITC issue an order to exclude infringing and falsely advertised articles from entry into the United States, and a cease and desist order that requires the respondents to cease selling infringing and falsely advertised LED bulbs in the U.S.