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The US solar panel maker has sent letters to Longi, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, JA Solar and Canadian Solar saying it believes the companies are infringing its patents.
US solar panel maker First Solar told analysts in its third-quarter earnings presentation that it has issued letters through its lawyers to major solar manufacturers warning that it believes its patents are being infringed.
“With respect to intellectual property, we have recently sent notification letters to Tier 1 solar manufacturers that we believe are infringing First Solar’s ??TOPCon patent portfolio,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar.
The letters were sent to the worlds leading solar panel manufacturers: Longi, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, JA Solar and Canadian Solar. Several of the major manufacturers are asserting patent claims against each other, many of which relate to TOPCon solar cell technology.
First Solar holds a portfolio of TOPCon patents through its acquisition of TetraSun in 2013. The companys TOPCon portfolio includes patents and patent applications in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates, with patent terms extending through 2030.
The company has begun investigating its competitors for alleged patent infringement. Following initial investigations, the company believes it has valid and enforceable patents related to TOPCon.
First Solars warning letter to competitors alleges that the companies are using First Solars TOPCon patents without a license.
“We believe that the intellectual property-based uncertainty surrounding the freedom of crystalline silicon manufacturers to manufacture and sell TOPCon solar products and the potential complications for a PV project using potentially infringing solar cells should be taken into consideration by developers, project owners and PPA offtakers, as well as debt and equity financing parties,” Widmar said.
“Furthermore, we believe the current intellectual property landscape, particularly as it relates to TOPCon’s cell technology, highlights one of First Solar’s ??key competitive differentiators of offering a unique, proprietary cadmium telluride semiconductor technology, as opposed to highly commercialized crystalline silicon modules,” he concluded. |
