Just ahead of holiday shopping season and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Epson America says it is continuing efforts to protect the projector market from false brightness advertising and inaccurate information that misleads consumers and damages the entire projector industry.

In lawsuits filed this week against four projector brands sold on Amazon – Vankyo, WiMiUS, GooDee and Bomaker – Epson is highlighting how advertising that does not use industry standard specifications can deceive shoppers, specifically the quoting of “lux” instead of lumens on projectors. 

Lux alone does not tell a consumer how bright an image will be on their screen, Epson contends, noting that lumens was adopted by the industry to provide consumers with a consistent way to compare actual projector performance.

“We are seeing more connected households embrace big-screen viewing solutions than ever before. As we enter the busy holiday season, we want to ensure that consumers are receiving the vital information needed to make informed purchasing decisions,” said Mike Isgrig, vice president, consumer sales and marketing, Epson America.

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“Epson invests considerable time and money to ensure performance claims are based on industry standards, and we take it seriously when companies blatantly mislead consumers with non-standard specifications. This lawsuit underscores Epson’s commitment to support a fair marketplace and deter sellers and manufacturers who by misleading projector consumers, damage the credibility of the entire industry.”  

Epson says it aims to underscore the importance of understanding the specifications claimed and used in selling practices.

Projector brightness, measured in lumens and tested according to industry standards, is the No. 1 spec used by consumers in the purchase process to compare performance, the company claims, and “When brands, such as the four listed in the lawsuit, quote lux instead of lumens to deceive shoppers, the entire industry is hurt,” Epson states.

Epson Lawsuit Follows Similar Moves in Recent Years

The methodology for measuring projector color brightness and separately white brightness is defined in international standards published by ISO/IEC and the ICDM in the IDMS, notes Epson.

This is not the first time the company has fought legally to ensure recognized standards are followed so there is “zero ambiguity regarding how projectors are to be properly measured and compared for both white brightness and color brightness.” 

A few years ago, Epson obtained a permanent injunction and damage award for $5 million as a result of its successful litigation against iRulu for falsely advertising lumens ratings.

In 2019, Epson reached a settlement with Curtis International Ltd. and Technicolor in its lawsuit alleging the companies falsely advertised the lumens of projectors manufactured and sold under the RCA and ONN (Walmart) brand names. Curtis agreed to advertise its projectors only using the industry standard ISO/ANSI lumens and to modify its packaging to reflect the accurate lumens ratings, Epson notes.  

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