Maxeon: Dutch court rejects ABC cell patent lawsuit against Aiko Solar

May 24, 2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Aiko’s ABC technology (exhibited above) was not judged to infringe on Maxeon’s patents. Image: Aiko Solar.

Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Maxeon has failed in its preliminary injuction against manufacturer Aiko Solar over alleged solar technology patent infringement.

A judge in the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands denied Maxeon’s preliminary injunction over an alleged patent infringement case over solar cell architectures last week, in a result that Aiko called “a significant victory…showcasing the unique design of our cutting-edge ABC products.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The dispute was over specific back-contact (BC) solar cell architectures, known as all back-contact (ABC) or interdigitated back-contact (IBC).

In a declaration following the ruling, Maxeon said: “Maxeon firmly stands behind the strength, validity, and enforceability of its patent portfolio and in the infringement claims filed against Eironn Netherlands B.V. (Aiko Energy). We look forward to confirming this through an appeal of today’s decision and during the full course of these proceedings in the Dutch court, in addition to our ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against Aiko in Germany.”

Maxeon originally filed the patent infringement lawsuit in November 2023 against Aiko, its subsidiaries and the wholesale company Memodo in Germany. Aiko and Memodo signed a 1.3GW module supply agreement for the former’s n-type ABC modules in June 2023.

At the time of filing the lawsuit, Maxeon CEO Bill Mulligan said the suit was “necessary to protect our intellectual property, significant R&D and other investments, as well as our reputation and deep heritage and culture of innovation.”

In its statement following the denial at The Hague, Aiko Solar said: “The Dutch court held that it is not plausible that Aiko’s products would infringe Maxeon’s patent, therefore rejecting the requested preliminary injunction. This ruling by the Dutch court strongly supports Aiko’s continuous commitment to innovation in ABC technology.”

This is not the only patent infringement lawsuit Maxeon has launched in the last seven months. Shortly after filing the Aiko suit, the company announced plans to investigate “several” companies in the US over tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology patents. At the time, Maxeon claimed that it had a portfolio of over 1,600 patents for TOPCon products.

It has since transpired that three of the companies in question were Chinese solar manufacturing giant Canadian Solar, module manufacturer REC Solar Holdings and Korean-owned producer Qcells.  These three lawsuits were all filed between March and April 2024.

Earlier this week, the Nasdaq stock exchange issued Maxeon with a notice of non-compliance after the company failed to submit its financial statements for the full year 2023. At the same time, Maxeon announced that it would be delaying its Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 reports. The company has until the 16th July to submit a plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq.

Read Next

October 27, 2025
Waaree Energies has secured four solar module supply contracts totalling 692MW – three for projects in India and one in the US through its subsidiary.
October 27, 2025
Premier Energies has acquired a 51% stake each in transformer maker Transcon and inverter producer KSolare Energy. 
October 27, 2025
US solar technology company Swift Solar has deployed perovskite solar technology as part of a Department of Defence cyber warfare exercise in the state of Virginia.
October 23, 2025
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy sold approximately 725MW of solar modules in Q3 2025, as it continues to expand US manufacturing capabilities.
Sponsored
October 22, 2025
LONGi vice president Dennis She discusses the value logic behind the company's strategic focus on back contact technology.
October 22, 2025
US thin-film manufacturer First has revealed another transfer of its 45X manufacturing tax credits in a deal worth around US$775 million.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal