The Tokyo High Court recommended that a 50-year-old researcher and Nichia Corp., his former employer, settle their dispute over the blue light-emitting diode patent without any court ruling.

The Tokyo District Court ordered Nichia in January to pay 20 billion yen to Shuji Nakamura as part of 60.4 billion yen he should receive as a reward for the patent transferred to the chemical maker on the blue LED that he invented when he was a Nichia employee. The company has filed an appeal against the order with the high court.

As the final argument on the dispute ended Friday, high court presiding Judge Hisao Sato advised Nakamura, now a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Nichia to consider an amicable settlement, noting they have differed widely.