[Berlin, Germany, November 16, 2020] Hanwha Q CELLS (“Q CELLS”), a globally renowned solar technology leader and total energy solutions provider, was once again recognized for its technology, receiving a patent validity judgment in the “patent invalidation trial” for Q CELLS cell technology filed in China by the Chinese solar manufacturer LONGi Solar.
LONGi Solar filed two invalidity proceedings against Q CELLS in July and August of 2019 in China’s Reexamination and Invalidation Department of the Patent Office, CNIPA, alleging that the company’s patents regarding high-efficiency silicon solar cells were invalid. The Patent Office early in November this year ruled in favor of Q CELLS by upholding the validity of its patents. The Patent Office’s determination reaffirmed that Q CELLS’ intellectual property rights can be protected in China[i], a market where most of global PERC cell are produced currently.
Based on the European equivalent of one of the two patents recently upheld by China’s Patent Office (‘971, equivalent European patent EP 2 220 689), Q CELLS has filed a litigation against three companies – JinkoSolar GmbH (“JinkoSolar“), REC Solar EMEA GmbH (“REC”), and LONGi Solar Technologie GmbH (“LONGi Solar”) – in Germany for PERC patent infringements.
