First Solar has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against JA Solar Technology and several of its affiliates, along with American Panel Solutions (AMPS).
The suit alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,130,074, which covers methods of manufacturing Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) crystalline silicon solar cells.
First Solar obtained its TOPCon patent portfolio through its 2013 acquisition of TetraSun. The portfolio includes issued patents in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and several other jurisdictions, with validities extending to 2030 and beyond, along with pending applications in several regions.
The filing follows First Solar’s July 2024 announcement that it owned the TOPCon patent portfolio and had begun infringement investigations against several leading crystalline silicon cell manufacturers.
“We have been clear that we will actively defend our intellectual property rights in the US and internationally,” said Jason Dymbort, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, First Solar, in a statement.
He continued, “This lawsuit is an effort to hold JA Solar and AMPS accountable for their unauthorized use of First Solar’s patented technology and reinforces the need for TOPCon manufacturers operating in the United States to respect the well-defined framework of intellectual property law.”
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