Color Kinetics Licenses Patents to Trumpf for Medical Lighting
Demonstrates strong traction in licensing with twelve agreements signed in Q1'07
Boston, MA - April 23, 2007 - Color Kinetics Incorporated today announced a global licensing agreement with TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG, a $2 billion German manufacturing company. TRUMPF will license Color Kinetics' patents to offer the iLED surgical light, which combines intelligent microprocessor control with LEDs to produce variable color temperatures of light. The license will also apply to any future intelligent LED-based medical lights that TRUMPF may develop. The agreement marks Color Kinetics' first in the medical lighting field, and the first related specifically to white light applications.
The FDA-approved iLED surgical light offers multiple benefits over conventional medical lighting systems. Its lack of radiated heat provides a more comfortable operating environment for doctors, while its variable color temperature allows more precise examination of human tissue by making contrasts more visible. iLED utilizes Color Kinetics' patented inventions to produce LED-based white light that is adjustable from 3,500 - 5,000 Kelvin, or "warm" to "cool." This capability has also proven helpful for doctors' concentration and alertness during lengthy surgeries, when cooler light is preferred.
"Thanks to the advent of innovative LED lighting technology, we can now deliver highly controllable illumination for surgical procedures. The iLED was designed to offer adjustable light characteristics, which make it adaptable to individual surgical situations - a feature that is unique in the medical world today," said Kordt Griepenkerl, Managing Director, TRUMPF KREUZER, a medical technology subsidiary of TRUMPF.
"This agreement reflects yet another exciting market direction for LED lighting technology, and one that clearly exemplifies the power of intelligent digital control," said Bill Sims, President and CEO, Color Kinetics. "We often talk about the use of light to transform environments for aesthetic purposes, and in this case it's being precisely controlled to create an optimal environment for surgery. We're very pleased to grant access to our intellectual property to TRUMPF, whose expertise in medical equipment will help expose the benefits of LED technology to a new and perfectly suited market."
The agreement with TRUMPF is the latest signed in a strong groundswell of activity for Color Kinetics' licensing program, which secured a record twelve new agreements in the first quarter alone. These included contracts with lighting manufacturers such as Element Labs, Lamina Ceramics and UK-based Solar GB, as well as manufacturers in vertical fields, including Ford Motor Company. This accelerating momentum points to the increasingly pervasive and versatile use of intelligent LED technology.
"Given the ubiquitous nature of lighting and its many diverse markets, our approach from day one has been to foster cross-industry product development and adoption by making our intellectual property accessible to third parties," said Sims. "We believe that the physical properties and inherently 'smart' nature of LEDs have very broad applicability, whether for lighting fixtures, automotive and aircraft interiors, gaming machines, toys or furniture. We've bolstered our licensing program through the successful defense of our IP and on-going patent prosecution, and the quantity and caliber of new agreements signed indicate that our efforts have been well focused."
Digital images of the iLED surgical light are available upon request. For additional information about TRUMPF visit http://www.trumpf-med.com/.
About Color Kinetics
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Color Kinetics Incorporated (NASDAQ: CLRK) transforms environments through new, dynamic uses of light. Its award-winning lighting systems and technologies apply the benefits of LEDs as a highly efficient, long lasting, environmentally friendly, and inherently digital source of illumination - reinventing light itself as a highly controllable medium. Color Kinetics also enables widespread adoption of LED lighting through OEM and licensing partnerships in diverse markets. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA with offices in the UK and China. More information is available at www.colorkinetics.com.
Contact Info
Felicia Spagnoli:
fspagnoli@colorkinetics.com
Media Relations
Color Kinetics Incorporated
617-701-2292
Justine Alonzo:
jalonzo@colorkinetics.com
