Intellectual property and innovation: protecting the 120‑year OSRAM Brand

Premstaetten, Austria, and Munich, Germany (May 12, 2026) – In 2026, the OSRAM brand celebrates 120 years of technological leadership — built on innovation and strong intellectual property. Following World Intellectual Property (IP) Day on April 26, Dr. Dieter Boss, Vice President IP at ams OSRAM, explains how patents and trademarks help to protect innovation, prevent counterfeits, and safeguard the long‑term value of the OSRAM brand in lighting and sensing technologies.

What does World IP Day mean for a technology company like ams OSRAM?

Dieter Boss: This year, more than ever, World IP Day is an important occasion to highlight the central role of innovation and IP protection: It took place shortly after the 120th anniversary of our OSRAM brand on April 17. As a valuable cornerstone of ams OSRAM, the OSRAM brand is synonymous with 120 years of technological leadership — from the early days of the incandescent lamp to today’s modern semiconductor and sensor solutions in the field of Digital Photonics. This elevated level of innovation would not have been possible without the strong protection of our intellectual property.

 

How do consumers and other market stakeholders benefit from intellectual property protection?

Dieter Boss: The safeguarding of intellectual property extends beyond rights holders themselves, thereby also providing tangible benefits to consumers and other stakeholders across the marketplace. It fosters sustainable innovation by safeguarding investments in research, development, and quality, thus contributing to a diverse, reliable, and technologically advanced product offering. At the same time, effective IP protection ensures fair market conditions by preventing counterfeiting and unfair competitive practices. Consumers benefit through increased transparency, trustworthy origin, safety, and the consistent quality of products and services, while market participants can rely on clearly defined rights and predictable framework conditions governing cooperation, licensing, and market access.

 

What risks are associated with counterfeit products, especially when it comes to light- and sensor-based technologies? 

Dieter Boss: Counterfeit products may pose a serious risk, as they usually fail to meet the high safety, quality, and reliability standards that are critical for light- and sensor-based technologies. This may result in electrical issues such as overheating or short circuits, optical hazards like glare or poor visibility, chemical- and material-related risks, or even malfunctions in safety-critical systems. 

 

What actions do you take as a company to address the infringement of IP rights?

Dieter Boss: We regularly monitor the various markets in which we distribute our products for potential infringements of intellectual property rights, including patents and trademarks. The holders of such rights have a broad set of tools at their disposal to take action against potential infringements. Long-established companies such as ams OSRAM — with a strong portfolio of IP rights grown over decades and a track record of quality products and breakthrough innovation — have access to even more tools. Whenever we identify a potential infringement, we respond accordingly. The focus is always on protecting our customers and innovations, while upholding fair competition and market integrity. We aim to resolve IP issues fairly and amicably, but take decisive action to enforce our rights when key technologies are deployed without authorization. In doing so, we safeguard both our own interests and those of everyone who uses our innovations: customers, partners, and all other stakeholders who value fair market conditions. ams OSRAM will continue to closely monitor the market and will not hesitate to take legal action if necessary. 

 

Can you please share an example of a concrete case in which ams OSRAM successfully enforced its trademark and patent rights?

Dieter Boss: Yes, a very concrete and recent example is the enforcement of our patent rights in the area of lighting technology aimed at stimulating plant growth (horticulture). In August 2025, we filed patent infringement proceedings in Germany and the United States against “Spider Farmer” luminaires, as our cutting-edge Hyper-Red LED technology (660 nm) had been incorporated in these products without authorization. The goal was to put an end to the unauthorized use of our protected LED technology and ensure fair market conditions. In February 2026, we were able to reach an amicable settlement in the dispute with Meizhi Optoelectronics Technology as the manufacturer of these luminaires: From now on, Meizhi will source LEDs directly from ams OSRAM under a commercial agreement. 
This settlement underscores the importance of clearly defined and enforceable IP protection — not to exacerbate conflicts, but to safeguard innovation, enable compliant solutions, and ensure fair competition.

 

In 2026, ams OSRAM is celebrating the 120th anniversary of its OSRAM brand. What makes it so special?

Dieter Boss: The OSRAM brand is a true icon, having set technological milestones for over 120 years and boasting a global reputation as being synonymous with lighting expertise. Since being registered as a trademark in 1906, the OSRAM brand has made lighting history — from the BILUX® lamp in 1925, to the first fluorescent lamp in 1936, the halogen lamp in 1967, the development of the first white-converted LED in 1996, and the introduction of EVIYOS® Matrix LED automotive headlamps in 2023. Today, the OSRAM brand is carried forward within ams OSRAM. As a company, ams OSRAM stands for bringing together light, sensing technologies, and smart digital control. The OSRAM brand legacy is a huge asset — and it also comes with a clear corporate mission to continue driving innovation, quality, and engineering excellence. 

 

What role do intellectual property and patents play in this long history of innovation?

Dieter Boss: Intellectual property is the foundation of sustainable innovation work — then and now. The continuous advancement of lighting technology would not have been possible without protective mechanisms like patents, trademark rights, and design rights. ams OSRAM holds around 12,000 patents and patent applications. Along with our technologies, product designs, and patents, the OSRAM brand itself also constitutes a key IP asset: It is recognized globally for reliability, quality, and technological progress, playing a key role in brand recognition and market positioning. This high level of trust has been earned over many decades through innovative and robust products, collaborative partnerships, and consistent quality standards.

 

ams OSRAM runs a comprehensive brand licensing program. How does it contribute to safeguarding and further developing the OSRAM brand?

Dieter Boss: Our brand licensing program is a strategic part of how we manage the brand. It enables specialized partners across the globe to use the OSRAM brand for clearly defined product categories. Importantly, the brand continues to be fully owned by the ams OSRAM Group. We ensure that licensees comply with our brand standards, uphold quality, and reflect the brand’s values. This approach boosts global visibility, promotes access to markets, and enables cross-selling without compromising brand integrity.

 

What benefits do companies gain by joining the OSRAM brand licensing program?

Dieter Boss: The benefits are manifold: instant brand presence, high recognition value among end customers, a clear brand promise, the stability of a globally established brand, along with access to a strong partner network. On top of that, licensees benefit from our continuous brand stewardship and our positioning of their products in the premium segment. This approach reduces market risks, saves on investment, and enables access to new target groups and markets with prospects for further growth. At the same time, they remain flexible and retain full control over design, manufacturing, and distribution.

 

The OSRAM brand has reinvented itself technologically multiple times over the decades. Looking at the next 120 years, what’s your perspective from an IP point of view?

Dieter Boss: The future of the OSRAM brand lies in combining light and sensing technologies into intelligent system solutions. Under the one roof of ams OSRAM, we develop technologies that, for example, enhance road safety, make smartphones smarter, capture vital data, and enable more precise robotics. Light is also turning into a carrier of information — a principle that was recently honored with the German Future Prize in recognition of the “Digital Light” LED technology. To put it in a nutshell: Drawing on 120 years of experience, we actively contribute to shaping the technologies of the future. With the OSRAM brand and our IP portfolio, we set the framework to ensure innovations are applied in a value-creating way and not diluted. This enables us to work with our partners and customers within a regulated framework to collaboratively develop lighting and sensing technologies that make our world safer, more efficient, and more livable.