Nakamura v. Nichia Kagaku Kogyo K.K.
Tokyo District Court
Case No. Heisei 13 (wa) 17772 (2004)
- Written by Margot Parmenter, JD
Facts
Shuji Nakamura (plaintiff) worked as a researcher for Nichia Kagaku Kogyo K.K. (Nichia) (defendant), a small Japanese manufacturer. While employed, Nakamura invented the blue light-emitting diode (LED). At the time of the invention, Nichia lacked a robust research-and-development arm, and Nakamura worked alone to invent the blue LED. Upon invention, the importance of blue LED was widely recognized, and the fact that Nakamura had invented it before larger research institutes proved exceptional and profitable. After Nichia registered the patent for the blue LED, Nakamura sued, seeking a transfer of patent ownership. He argued that he had never assigned Nichia the right to patent his invention. He also asserted that if he had assigned Nichia the right to patent the blue LED, he was entitled to 20 billion yen as reasonable compensation for the assignment. In an interlocutory decision, the Tokyo district court found that Nakamura had assigned the right to register a patent to Nichia. It then took up the issue of reasonable compensation for the assignment of this right.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
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