If I am reading this correctly they are suing the retailers because they are selling a product that supposedly uses U of C developed tech.
Why is the retailer responsible? Do we require retailers to verify technology used in each product sold? Shouldn't they be after the manufacturer? They claim it would be too much trouble to track all the foreign manufacturers down.
This sounds so wrong.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-ikea-sued-university-california-183525479.html
(Bloomberg) -- The University of California is looking to halt imports of vintage-style LED light bulbs that are sold at five of the nation’s biggest retailers, including Walmart Inc., Target Corp. and Amazon.com Inc.
The University of California Santa Barbara says the retailers should be paying it royalties from sales of the bulbs. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and Ikea of Sweden AB also were named in the complaint filed Tuesday with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington and in civil suits in federal court in Los Angeles.
The energy-efficient light bulbs are designed to imitate the iconic look of the ones developed by Thomas A. Edison, who invented the first mass-marketed incandescent bulb. The dangling Edison bulbs, with their old-fashioned look, glowing filaments and sepia tones, are popular at American restaurants and with modern home designers.
Typical LEDs use opaque glass that hide the structure inside the bulb. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara’s Solid State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center said they developed technology that would allow for an exposed filament that disperses light in all directions.
Seth Levy, the Nixon Peabody lawyer representing the university, said the school had approached some of the retailers to seek a license and was rebuffed. The bulbs are all made overseas by a large number of manufacturers, so suing the sellers is more efficient than trying to track them all down.