OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2015. Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today announced Ledra Brands Inc. as its 600th member to its EnabLED Licensing program, continuing the growth trend which has added 100 new members in the last 9 months. The large number of members that have joined during the rapid rise of the program confirms the attractiveness of the program offering and recognizes Philips’ innovative leadership in LED lighting.

Launched in 2008, the EnabLED Licensing Program, which provides access to 225 patent families and 1434 granted patent rights to companies that sell their own branded LED products, is the industry’s premier portfolio of LED based product patents. The program, which has helped drive the adoption of LED technology by the industry in the last 7 years, is helping licensees to remain innovative and ahead of competitors by providing access to patents and inventions combined with own inventions to grow their business. Program members have direct access to a range of solutions to pick and choose from to best suit their growth needs.

Philips has a rich heritage in sharing its world-leading technology and patent portfolio. Philips is committed to providing a licensing program that is fair and reasonable to all. Reaching the milestone of 600 members is proof that an increasingly large part of the industry sees the appeal of the program and understands the obligation to acquire a license if their products incorporate Philips’ patented technologies. Recently this obligation has been actively enforced by Philips through more formal routes. The rapid growth in memberships of the program, which has doubled in size since May 2013, represents an important moment for the Licensing Program. Member benefits are increasing, such as the introduction of the EnabLED membership logo which is helping members to stand out in the market and provide their customers with confidence in their products.

Frank Bistervels, Senior Director for Intellectual Property Licensing at Philips said, “We are proud that the EnabLED Licensing Program continues to grow at a rapid pace and feel confident that the program has helped to accelerate the adoption of LED technology since its inception in 2008. Our program members and those we speak to in the industry appreciate Philips’ investment in LED technology and the fair way the program is applied. Also, the recent introduction of the EnabLED membership logo offers licensees a nice way to communicate their membership of the program towards their customers.”

“Ledra Brands is pleased to be a member of the EnabLED Licensing Program,” said Alex Ladjevardi, President of Ledra Brands. “Ledra Brands itself is an industry pioneer in offering LED lighting, and Ledra respects Philips’ significant investments in this growing industry. We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality products while at the same time knowing through the membership we can make use of relevant Philips’ innovations.”

Philips has pioneered many of the key breakthroughs in lighting over the past 124 years and has played a key role in the development of the booming LED industry over the past 20 years. Few companies can match the level of R&D investment by Philips throughout its history. Philips Lighting invested nearly 5% of sales revenue into R&D in 2014 alone, which amounted to €330 million. Despite this, Philips believes open innovation is the way to grow and by sharing its IP through the Licensing Program, Philips aims to encourage innovation, foster industry growth and allow companies to capture opportunities in the expanding LED market.

The signing of the 600th licensee follows earlier agreements between Philips and other companies including: Acuity Brands, Cooper, Cree, Dextra, Dialight, Hubbell, Martin, Neo-Neon, Osram, Paulmann, Trilux and Zumtobel. Through the Licensing Program, licensees are given access to a wide range of basic LED control and system-level technologies available for use in their branded LED-based luminaires and retrofit bulbs for general illumination, architectural, entertainment and theatrical markets. Additional information is available at www.ip.philips.com/licensing/enabled.