| Work Detail |
The retained panels were shipped by Canadian Solar and Sunova Solar to Europe and Latin America, respectively. The total value of the seized products amounts to more than 5 million yuan (688 million US dollars).Shanghai customs has temporarily seized several containers suspected of infringing intellectual property rights (IPR) based on their records, according to Chinese media Xinhua Daily.
Among the seized products were TOPCon HiKu 6 modules from Chinese-Canadian manufacturer Canadian Solar, which were to be shipped to Europe and were valued at 3.73 million yuan ($513,700), as well as TOPCon Tangra modules from Sunova Solar, which They were going to be sent to Latin America, valued at 1.43 million yuan (197 thousand dollars).
The total value of the seized containers, which numbered nine units, exceeded 5 million yuan.
Shanghai Customs explained that the intellectual property rights protection registration system offered by Chinese customs is an essential means for companies to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights. After companies register their patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights with customs, if suspected infringing goods are detected during customs clearance, customs authorities may confiscate the goods and notify the rights holders accordingly. with the Regulations on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights of the Peoples Republic of China, thus effectively avoiding economic losses to rights holders.
In a statement to pv magazine , a Canadian Solar spokesperson said that in China, any party can ask customs to detain incoming or outgoing containers based on alleged intellectual property infringements, as long as they pay the required bond. “This is standard procedure and does not involve any established violation,” the spokesperson said.
These types of arrests usually require the detainee to pay an administrative penalty or present evidence of non-infringement so that the shipment can be released. However, these situations usually end with the payment of fines.
At this time, Sunova Solar has not responded to pv magazine s request for comment on the matter.
With the development of the solar industry, IPR protection has become a crucial support for technological innovation and industrial modernization of Chinese companies. This year alone, companies such as JinkoSolar, JA Solar and Trina Solar have publicly called for tougher sanctions against IPR violations and advocated for international cooperation on IPR protection.
The increase in IPR litigation among Chinese PV companies highlights the need for export control by Shanghai customs to significantly reduce the future flow of solar products suspected of infringing IPR to foreign markets. |
