Maxeon Solar Technologies and Tongwei Solar have sorted out their patent infringement dispute
They signed a Settlement and Cross-Licensing Agreement just before the year 2024 ended
Maxeon’s lawsuit in Germany was related to Tongwei reportedly infringing its shingled technology patent
Solar PV manufacturers, Singapore’s Maxeon Solar Technologies and China’s Tongwei Solar, exited 2024 on a positive note as they reached an agreement in their shingled solar cell and module technology related patent infringement dispute.
On December 30, 2024, Maxeon announced entering a Settlement and Cross-Licensing Agreement with Tongwei Solar (Hefei) Co., Ltd., effective as of November 30, 2024, without sharing any other details.
Maxeon had filed a patent lawsuit in Germany in June 2023, accusing Tongwei of infringing its shingled technology patent that the former uses for its Performance Line solar modules. It was specifically related to Tongwei Solar (Hefei), and its affiliate Tongwei Solar GmbH, allegedly using Maxeon's European Patent No. EP3522045B1 without authorization (see Another Patent Fight Brewing).
While Tongwei had said this lawsuit would account for about 0.0128% of its audited net assets, its request to invalidate 2 patents of Maxeon was rejected by China’s State Intellectual Property Office.
Maxeon has several more patent infringement lawsuits ongoing including against Hanwha Qcells, Canadian Solar, and REC Solar Holdings. Even beyond the Maxeon universe, there are many more patent fights among other manufacturers, mostly regarding TOPCon technology. Some of the examples are Trinasolar’s complaint against Canadian Solar, Runergy and Adani, and JinkoSolar’s case against VSUN and TOYO (see JinkoSolar Files Patent Infringements Case Against VSUN & TOYO).
Ziteng Intellectual Property Group that provided Maxeon with all-round professional support in this process says it helped the 2 parties reach the settlement agreement. In a statement, Ziteng said, “This settlement not only reflects the high professionalism and cooperative attitude of the two companies in the face of intellectual property disputes, but also sends a positive signal to the entire photovoltaic industry - that resolving disputes through friendly negotiations is a feasible and beneficial way.”
It added, “Such cases provide valuable experience for other companies to deal with similar issues, help create a healthier and more harmonious competitive environment, and further enhance the awareness of intellectual property protection within and outside the industry.”