Osram said the lawsuits against the two rivals were filed in the United States, Germany and Japan while another against LG would be filed in China on Tuesday.

Osram is the world's No.2 lighting company after Philips and ahead of General Electric Co. 

Siemens plans to float a majority stake in Osram in the European autumn.

LEDs are electronic semiconductor devices that emit light and are more energy efficient while organic light emitting diodes (OLED) are based on organic compounds.

Demand for LED is hot, particularly in products such as televisions, cell phones and lighting fixtures, and LEDs are expected to become a more consumer-related business.

Osram said Samsung and LG infringed its patents on white and surface mountable LEDS.

It said it would seek compensation, adding various prominent companies worldwide have taken royalty-bearing licenses on its conversion technology.

"Major competitors such as Philips/Lumileds, Cree, and Nichia have acknowledged our strong IP position by entering into cross-license agreements with Osram", said Aldo Kamper, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors.