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					</table><p>The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (<a href="https://www.uspto.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USPTO</a>) director has denied three separate inter partes review applications filed by <a href="https://www.jinkosolar.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JinkoSolar</a>, Mundra Solar, and <a href="https://www.canadiansolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Solar</a> in 2025, seeking to invalidate <a href="https://www.firstsolar.com/en-IN/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Solar</a>’s technology patents, covering methods of manufacturing TOPCon crystalline silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>The applications filed by the three companies were declined on November 20, 2025, and December 11 and 18, 2025, respectively.</p>
<p>First Solar stated that it has pending lawsuits against the three applicants in the Delaware District Court, alleging infringement of its patents.</p>
<p>The company added that the USPTO’s decision was consistent with the ‘settled expectations’ doctrine. Under this doctrine, the patent owner’s expectations will depend on how long a patent has been in force.</p>
<p>First Solar said the patents at issue with its USPTO were issued in 2015 and 2017, respectively, well before the three companies filed their applications.</p>
<p>First Solar received the U.S. TOPCon patents and their international counterparts through its 2013 acquisition of TetraSun. The company also obtained patents for its TOPCon technology in Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Vietnam. The validity of these patents extends to at least 2030.</p>
<p>Additionally, First Solar has pending patent applications with the EU, Japan, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Vietnam.</p>
<p>First Solar announced its plans to license and enforce its TOPCon technology patent portfolio and initiate the infringement investigations against multiple leading crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers in 2024.</p>
<p>As the solar industry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/patent-disputes-soar-topcon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transitions</a> from Mono PERC to TOPCon technology and countries emphasize domestic manufacturing, there has been a surge in intellectual property disputes related to TOPCon solar recently, particularly in China, Europe, and the U.S.</p>
<p>Earlier, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-patent-board-invalidates-maxeons-topcon-patent-claims-against-canadian-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">determined</a> that the claims of patent infringement by Singapore-based solar solutions provider Maxeon Solar Technologies against Canadian Solar are invalid.</p>


US Patent Board Declines Applications Against First Solar’s TOPCon Patents


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					</table><p>The Patent Trial and Appeal Board  of the <a href="https://www.uspto.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Patent and Trademark Office</a> has determined that the claims of patent infringement by Singapore-based solar solutions provider <a href="https://www.maxeon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maxeon Solar Technologies</a> against renewable energy solutions company <a href="https://www.canadiansolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian Solar</a> are invalid.</p>
<p>Maxeon <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-patent-infringement-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> infringement claims in 2024 against Canadian Solar, REC Solar, and Hanwha for violating three patents covering its TOPCon technology.</p>
<p>It alleged that the three companies were manufacturing, importing, and selling N-type solar panels using TOPCon cells and sought damages from the three companies and injunctions to stop making or selling these products.</p>
<p>In lawsuits filed in the federal district court in Texas, Maxeon has sought damages from the three companies and injunctions preventing them from manufacturing or selling N-type panels using TOPCon cells.</p>
<p>In May last year, a Texas court paused Maxeon’s patent case against Hanwha until the Patent Trial and Appeal Board completes reviews of disputed patents, after both sides agreed to be bound by the board’s decisions.</p>
<p>Maxeon has a global portfolio of over 1,650 granted patents and over 330 pending patent applications protecting the innovations underpinning its Interdigitated Back Contact, Shingled Hypercell, and TOPCon technologies.</p>
<p>The company has also filed patent infringement cases against other solar solutions providers.</p>
<p>In December 2025, Maxeon <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-expands-patent-fight-against-aiko-with-new-german-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expanded</a> its patent infringement actions against Aiko Solar by filing a new lawsuit before the Munich Regional Court I in Germany, alleging infringement of its core back-contact (BC) solar technology. The complaint targets Aiko’s second-generation and third-generation BC solar modules sold in the European market.</p>
<p>In November 2024, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection continued to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-solar-by-us-customs-authority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detain</a> solar panels manufactured by Maxeon Solar Technologies in Mexico. This detention, which began in early July 2024, has affected multiple product lines, including “Maxeon 3” and “Maxeon 6” residential solar modules and “Performance 6” commercial modules.</p>
<p>As the solar industry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/patent-disputes-soar-topcon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transitions</a> from Mono PERC to TOPCon technology and countries emphasize domestic manufacturing, there has been a surge in intellectual property disputes related to TOPCon solar technology in recent months, particularly in China, Europe, and the U.S.</p>


US Patent Board Invalidates Maxeon’s TOPCon Patent Claims Against Canadian Solar


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					</table><p>Singapore-based solar solutions provider <a href="https://corp.maxeon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maxeon Solar Technologies</a> has expanded its patent infringement actions against <a href="https://aikosolar.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aiko Solar</a> by filing a new lawsuit before the Munich Regional Court I in Germany, alleging infringement of its core back-contact (BC) solar technology.</p>
<p>The complaint targets Aiko’s second-generation (Gen 2) and third-generation (Gen 3) BC solar modules sold in the European market. The Munich filing marks the latest step in a series of legal actions Maxeon has taken to protect its intellectual property.</p>
<p>The alleged infringement concerns European patent EP2297789B1, referred to as EP789, which is part of Maxeon’s BC solar technology patent portfolio.</p>
<p>Maxeon had filed a complaint before the Mannheim Regional Court alleging infringement of patent EP2297788. This was followed in 2024 by a complaint filed with the Unified Patent Court Local Division in Düsseldorf alleging infringement of patent EP3065184.</p>
<p>All three patents cited in the legal actions are part of the same BC solar technology family developed by Maxeon.</p>
<p>In the latest lawsuit, Maxeon is seeking a permanent injunction to prevent further infringing activities, an order requiring disclosure of sales data related to the accused products, and compensation for damages.</p>
<p>The company is also requesting the destruction of infringing inventory held in Germany. No financial amounts related to damages or potential liabilities have been disclosed. In addition to naming Aiko’s manufacturing and sales entities as defendants, Maxeon has also named four German solar product distributors, Wattkraft, DWH Solutions, Memodo, and Tepto as co-defendants, citing their role in distributing the allegedly infringing products in the German market.</p>
<p>Maxeon stated that its enforcement strategy extends beyond manufacturers to include distributors, emphasizing that entities involved in selling infringing products may face.</p>
<p>Last April, Maxeon <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-patent-infringement-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> infringement claims against Canadian Solar, REC Solar, and Hanwha for violating three patents relating to the TOPCon technology it holds.</p>
<p>In November 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it would <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-solar-by-us-customs-authority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continue</a> detaining solar panels manufactured by Maxeon in Mexico.</p>


Maxeon Expands Patent Fight Against Aiko with New German Lawsuit


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					</table><p>The U.S. International Trade Commission (<a href="https://www.usitc.gov/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ITC</a>) has terminated an investigation into the global provider of utility-scale wire (solar, electrical balance of systems) solutions company <a href="https://www.voltageenergy.com/">Voltage</a>’s patent infringement through its LYNX trunk bus solution.</p>
<p>The investigation cleared Voltage of violating ITC’s Section 337 for importing and selling its trunk bus solution.</p>
<p><a href="https://shoals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shoals Technologies Group</a> initiated the investigation in May 2023, accusing Voltage of infringing on its patents, including its big lead assembly technology for trunk bus solutions.</p>
<p>The investigation termination follows earlier dismissals of claims that Voltage infringed on two other patents on trunk bus solutions and in-line fuses.</p>
<p>Voltage said it introduced its trunk bus solutions to the market in 2019, four years before Shoals&#8217; patent was issued in June 2023.</p>
<p>In September 2024, Shoals received a favorable ITC ruling in its patent infringement complaint against Voltage. Shoals had issued two new patents covering Shoals’ BLA technology, U.S. Patents 12,015,375 and 12,015,376, in addition to the &#8216;153 (U.S. Patent 11,689,153) patent that Voltage was found to violate.</p>
<p>In November 2024, the Commission issued its notice determining the judge&#8217;s initial determination to review. It declined Shoals&#8217; request to review the finding that Voltage&#8217;s alternative LYNX design does not infringe Shoals&#8217; patent. However, the Commission examined whether Voltage&#8217;s LYNX design can continue to be imported.</p>
<p>According to investment bank ROTH Capital Partners, the decision effectively reversed the administrative law judge’s initial determination and found no violation. It said approximately 87% of similar Section 337 cases result in a final determination that upholds the initial determination.</p>
<p>It added that Shoals recently filed a new Section 337 case to broaden the language to allow new patents to be applied to alternative and existing designs.</p>
<p>The new lawsuit is projected to take 12-18 months to file. The latest trial is expected to begin in October/November 2025, and the initial determination is expected in the first quarter of 2026.</p>
<p>There has recently been a <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/patent-disputes-soar-topcon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surge</a> in intellectual property disputes involving clean energy companies, especially those related to TOPCon solar technology in recent months, particularly in China, Europe, and the U.S.</p>
<p>In April 2024, Maxeon Solar Technologies, a Singapore-based solar solutions provider, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maxeon-patent-infringement-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> infringement claims against Canadian Solar, REC Solar, and Hanwha for violating three patents on TOPCon technology.</p>


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