Maxeon Solar Technologies has initiated a patent infringement lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas against Canadian Solar, alleging infringement of its patents relating to its Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology.
The company says the innovations behind the technologies are protected by a global patent portfolio.
“Maxeon has a strong heritage in developing solar cell technology, leading the development and commercialization of tunnel oxide passivated contacts,” says Marc Robinson, associate general counsel at Maxeon.
“Years before the moniker ‘TOPCon’ started to be used in the industry to describe a tunnel oxide passivated contact-based solar cell, our scientists and engineers had developed several ways to implement TOPCon technology into both back contact and front contact solar cells. Maxeon has many patents related to TOPCon technology, with inventions drawn to fundamental TOPCon solar cell architectures dating back to the 2000s. This is Maxeon’s first action to enforce its valuable patent rights in the United States, and Maxeon will continue to vigorously enforce its patent rights in the United States and its other markets.”