A subsidiary of JinkoSolar has filed a lawsuit in Munich accusing LONGi Green Energy and several subsidiaries of infringing on a solar cell manufacturing patent.
The patent in question – European patent number 4372829 – relates to coatings and doping for the passivation region of solar cells.
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The case was brought by Shangrao Xinyuan Yuedong Technology Development Co Ltd, a subsidiary of JinkoSolar, against LONGi’s subsidiaries in Germany, France and the Netherlands. It was originally owned by LG Electronics before being acquired by JinkoSolar.
The lawsuit targets LONGI’s back contact (BC) technology modules, a technology which LONGi has backed significantly and may represent the next phase of PV cell development, according to some in the industry.
Jinko’s case for BC technology perhaps indicates the start of industry litigation moving away from the tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) patent battles which raged over the last year, as that technology reached mainstream prominence.
This is the second cell technology patent Shangrao Xinyuan Yuedong has brought against LONGi this year. The first, in January, was brought in Japan over cell and module technology patents.
Back in March, LONGi’s chairman, Li Zhenguo, joined Canadian Solar head Shawn Qu to warn that the Chinese PV industry stood on the cusp of a “dark forest” of patent disputes as low product prices drive intense competition. As major PV firms struggle to turn a profit, despite expanding global module sales, legal disputes become an attractive tool for competition.
PV Tech has contacted LONGi for comment on this story.
