Color Kinetics Inc. and High End Systems Inc. (HES) today announced a global licensing agreement that reflects a continuing surge in the use of LED sources for stage and event lighting. HES will license Color Kinetics' patent portfolio to develop its first line of products incorporating multicolor LEDs. The initial offering will uniquely combine conventional sources with LEDs for accent purposes.
HES is credited for innovating some of the entertainment industry's most widely used lighting and control systems in its 35-year history including various options for generating color and effects using traditional light sources. Through the agreement, High End Systems will now be able to enhance its product range with the many proven aesthetic and practical advantages of LED sources.
The royalty-bearing license will apply to sales of applicable High End Systems products in all markets covered by Color Kinetics' patent portfolio. The agreement also calls for Color Kinetics to receive a royalty-free license to specific High End patents.
"High End is best known for our focus on innovation and use of cutting-edge technologies that can advance our industry as a whole. We believe that LEDs are one such technology, whose impact has only just begun to emerge," says Richard Belliveau, who co-founded High End Systems and is a prolific inventor with many market-changing products, patents, and awards to his credit. "As innovators ourselves, we respectfully acknowledge the patented inventions of others, and no company has contributed more to the research, development and commercialization of intelligent LED lighting than Color Kinetics. We view access to their IP as a critical component of our LED-related product development strategy, and look forward to exploiting the far-reaching potential of LED technology for our customers."
Bill Sims, president and CEO, Color Kinetics, notes, "This agreement is a testament to how far and how fast LED technology has come—driving a whole new wave of product development by well-established industry leaders like High End Systems. The entertainment industry was among the first to embrace intelligent LED lighting, and the number and caliber of partners we've secured in this space suggest that adoption is still on the rise. We look forward to enabling more market entrants as customers continue to experience and demand the clear-cut advantages of intelligently controlled LED sources."
High End Systems' first LED product, Showgun™, is scheduled for commercial release in June 2007.