Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting (PIOL) signed a license agreement with Global OLED Technology (GOT) - LG's company which acquired all of Kodak's OLED business in 2009. PIOL now has the right to use some of GOT's OLED lighting patents and will pay a running royalty fee. Idemistu Kosan owns 32% of GOT (the rest is owned by LG) and 49% of PIOL.

PEW OLED Lighting panels

PIOL started shipping OLED lighting panel samples last month. The company also signed a license agreement with UDC.

Panasonic Electric Works (PEW) released some very interesting news today regarding their OLED Lighting project. First of all, they announced that Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting (PIOL), their joint-venture with Idemitsu Kosan will start shipping OLED lighting panels tomorrow (September 1st) - to local and international markets. Those rather small (80x80mm), thin (2mm) and light (38g) OLED panels will feature no less than Ra90 color rendering (they say it's the world's highest) and 3,000 cd/m² - the world's brightest panels. The efficiency is 30 lm/W and lifetime (D70) is 10,000. The temperature is 3,000K (like a regular light bulb).

PEW itself will start offering OLED lighting modules in December 2011 - which will include the OLED panel, a frame and a built-in control circuit. PEW says that these modules will be "easy-to-embed" and will have a narrow frame design (11mm maximum width). You will also be able to replace the OLED panel in the modules in a simple way.

Update: Panasonic announced that they will start shipping OLED panels on September 1st, 2011.

Universal Display signed a technology license agreement with Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting (PIOL). PIOL will use UDC's OLED materials and technologies in its lighting products, and will pay running royalties on its sales (some of it prepaid) and may also purchase OLED materials. The agreement runs through July 2014.

PEW OLED Lighting panels

Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting was established by Panasonic Electric Works (PEW) and Idemitsu Kosan in March 2011, with the aim of developing, manufacturing and marketing OLED lighting panels. The company combines PEW's design and manufacturing technologies with Idemitsu OLED materials. PEW was already using UDC's materials, and it's interesting to hear that the joint-venture will now use UDC materials as well and not just Idemitsu' materials. This validates the claim that efficient OLED lighting (above 40 lm/W or so) requires phosphorescent materials.

Panasonic Corporation announced major restructuring, which includes laying off about 17,000 jobs (to reduce total employees to a level of 350,000) and reorganizing into three sectors (Consumer, Components & Devices and Solutions). The company identified four growth areas: Solar Business, water purification, devices for smartphones and OLED lighting.

PEW OLED Lighting panels

Here's Panasonic statement about OLEDs: "Panasonic recognizes OLED lighting as the next-generation lighting devices that may become equally popular as LED lighting in the market and formed a joint venture called Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting with Idemitsu Kosan on April 12, 2011. Panasonic will speed up the commercialization and market development for its OLED lighting products."

Panasonic Electric Works (PEW) and Idemitsu Kosan announced that they will establish a new joint venture for developing, manufacturing and marketing OLED lighting panels. The new company will be called Panasonic Idemitsu OLED Lighting and it will combine PEW's design and manufacturing technologies with Idemitsu OLED materials.

PEW OLED Lighting panels

The new company will have 10 employees at the time of establishment. PEW will owe 51% and Idemitsu will own the rest (49%). The initial company capital will be JP¥ 15 billion ($182 million).