Hawthorne Gardening, a worldwide leading supplier of horticulture LED lighting under the premium Agrolux and Gavita brands, expressed concerns over recent articles in HortiDaily and its Dutch equivalent, Groentennieuws, regarding legal action taken by Osram against a grower who is a customer of Hawthorne. Osram made public accusations of alleged patent infringement related to LED components in the Agrolux Wega Plus used by the grower.
“We were very surprised by Osram’s decision to involve growers directly in its allegations, an approach that we are concerned creates undue anxiety and potentially unwarranted legal costs for end users,” said Emmanuel Oomen, ProHort lead for Hawthorne, based in Europe. “We are concerned that by pursuing legal action against one grower, who we understand acted in good faith when purchasing their lighting, Osram may be signaling an intent to involve other end users. Let’s make one thing clear: we stand with our customers and feel compelled to address what we view as Osram’s aggressive litigation strategy,” Oomen said.
Hawthorne is actively working with its suppliers and manufacturers to ensure the interests of its customers are protected to the fullest extent possible. Moreover, Hawthorne, along with our suppliers and manufacturers, stand behind our products and intellectual property. Based on our current understanding, Hawthorne strongly believes that the product in question does not infringe any valid and enforceable patent rights of Osram. We are confident in our products and are committed to exploring all avenues to support our customers.
Hawthorne also notes that the patents currently asserted by Osram in the litigation against the grower are specifi c to certain jurisdictions, being the United States and Germany. It’s vital for the industry to understand the precise scope- and limitations- of any such claims. To our knowledge, the specific patents forming the basis of the current litigation against the grower do not extend beyond these named jurisdictions. Our own assessment of this matter is ongoing.
“What’s further disappointing is that Osram mentioned Agrolux by name in framing its allegations,” Oomen said. “We, too, are a customer of Osram, using their diodes in some of our fi xtures. Osram gave us no prior indication they were taking this legal action, nor that they intended to make such broad public statements. We were as blindsided by Osram’s actions as, we imagine, the grower who was put at the center of the litigation. Hawthorne is committed to vigorously supporting its customers and defending its business interests in this matter.”
Hawthorne encourages any customers or end users who have questions to contact Rosa Di Lisa, Marketing Manager, Gavita International B.V.
Gavita International, based in The Netherlands, is a worldwide supplier of integrated horticulture lighting solutions for greenhouses. Gavita International is part of Hawthorne Gardening Company, a leading global supplier of horticulture lighting. Hawthorne Gardening Company is a subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro, the world leader in lawn and garden products and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (SMG).
Oude Meer, June 17th, 2025
For more information:
Gavita International B.V.
[email protected]
www.agrolux.com