AMS Sensors USA Inc.

AMS Sensors USA Inc. is the United States subsidiary of ams-OSRAM AG, a publicly traded Austrian company that designs and manufactures advanced sensor solutions. Headquartered globally in Premstätten, Austria, with a co-headquarters in Munich, Germany, ams-OSRAM was formed following the acquisition of OSRAM Licht AG by ams AG in 2020. The parent company, ams-OSRAM AG, is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker: AMS) and reported having over 20,000 employees at the end of 2023. AMS Sensors USA Inc. has U.S. offices in locations including Plano, Texas, and San Jose, California.

ams-OSRAM is an operating company that produces a wide range of sensor and optical technologies. Its portfolio includes sensors (ambient light, color, spectral, proximity, image, position, and temperature), light emitters (LEDs and lasers), and related integrated circuits and software. These components serve customers in the automotive, industrial, medical, and consumer electronics sectors. The company's products are used in applications such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), medical imaging, smartphone 3D sensing, and industrial automation.

The company’s patent litigation posture is that of an operating company defending its freedom to operate. The single tracked case for AMS Sensors USA Inc. shows it as a co-plaintiff/petitioner before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). This posture is typical for an operating company proactively challenging the validity of patents held by a non-practicing entity (NPE). An entity that primarily defends itself or challenges patents, and has no record as a plaintiff in district court infringement campaigns, is acting defensively.

The tracked case, Cirrus Logic Inc. et al. v. Greenthread, LLC, is an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding filed in October 2023. AMS Sensors USA Inc., along with other technology companies like Cirrus Logic and Omnivision Technologies, Inc., petitioned the PTAB to review and invalidate patents owned by Greenthread, LLC. Greenthread is a patent assertion entity that has filed infringement lawsuits against numerous semiconductor and technology companies, including Samsung, Dell, and Intel, based on a portfolio of patents related to semiconductor device fabrication. By petitioning the PTAB, AMS and its partners are seeking to invalidate the patents being asserted against the industry.