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First Solar intellectual property litigation

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-02 01:43 UTC → 2026-10-06 06:22 UTC · added removed

First Solar, Inc. has adjusted its intellectual property enforcement strategy, beginning with the voluntary withdrawal of a Section 337 complaint pending before the US International Trade Commission (USITC). The company stated it intends to terminate the investigation without prejudice, though it remains committed to defending its global patent portfolio. While withdrawing the USITC complaint, the company is continuing its TOPCon patent lawsuits in US District Court against affiliates of Canadian Solar, Jinko Solar, T1 Energy, and Trina Solar. This legal activity has expanded to include a new patent infringement lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware against JA Solar and American Panel Solutions LLC, alleging unauthorized use of manufacturing methods for TOPCon crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells. In the litigation against JA Solar and American Panel Solutions (AMPS), First Solar alleges the unauthorized use of U.S. Patent No. 9,130,074. The complaint names several JA Solar affiliates and AMPS, a subsidiary of Corning that operates a module assembly plant in Arizona. First Solar, which acquired the TOPCon patent portfolio in 2013 through its acquisition of TetraSun, is seeking monetary damages and permanent injunctive relief to prevent the import, assembly, and sale of the disputed modules in the United States. The patents in question are expected to remain valid through 2030 and beyond. These legal maneuvers occur alongside shifts in the broader trade landscape, including Section 232 national security actions imposing tariffs on polysilicon to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. Concurrently, financial analysts at KeyCorp have lowered earnings per share estimates for First Solar following recent quarterly revenue reports.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-06 06:22 UTC First Solar intellectual property litigation
  2. 2026-10-02 01:43 UTC First Solar intellectual property litigation

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