LONGi and REC also respond to Hanwha Q CELLS patent infringement claims

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A key patent in the case is US 9,893,215 B2, which was issued to Hanwha Q CELLS and SolarWorld Industries in February 2018, although the original [215] patent stems from 2010. Image: SolarWorld

LONGi Solar and REC Group have separately responded to the patent infringement cases filed by Hanwha Q CELLS in courts in Germany and the US as well as with US International Trade Commission (ITC).

LONGi Solar said that it had “not received any legal case documents about the complaints, nor any official business negotiation correspondence from Hanwha Q CELLS on this matter before this event”.
 
However, it was only aware of the infringement complaints through media reports. Based on these reports, LONGi Solar said:

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“The patent family used by Hanwha Q CELLS’ in the complaint is acquired through multiple transfers and transactions from other research institutes; and act as a co-owner to the patents. Currently, several opposition procedures against the patents have been filed at least in Europe, and there is considerable uncertainty with regards to the validity of the patent rights.”

JinkoSolar had raised concerns over the validity of the patents, it could consider a legal petition to invalidate the patents.

REC Group also highlighted that its attention was drawn to the claimed patent infringements from media reports.

However, REC said that its preliminary checks on March 6, 2019 found that: “Germany’s regional Dusseldorf court (the “Court”) on March 6, 2019 reveals that court fees have not been paid by Hanwha Q CELLS. Therefore, the action has not officially commenced in Germany. As the Court has not served the action, REC Group is unable to examine the alleged claims.”

REC also noted that it would take, “all necessary steps to rigorously defend itself, its customers and its partners”.

The initial legal cases in the US District Court of Delaware against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar and REC Group are available for public scrutiny and have been viewed by PV Tech. 

A key patent in the case is US 9,893,215 B2, which was issued to Hanwha Q CELLS and SolarWorld Industries in February 2018, although the original [215] patent stems from 2010.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 4, 2025
Germany’s latest innovation tender has awarded 488MW of co-located capacity, with all the projects being solar PV tied with energy storage.
Premium
July 2, 2025
ANALYSIS: China's leading PV manufacturers are locked in a new round of competition, aiming to outpace each other through record-breaking feats.
June 26, 2025
International researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new cooling technology that improves the power and longevity of solar cells.
June 26, 2025
A group of minority shareholders in Norwegian silicon firm REC Silicon has triggered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the closure of the company’s US polysilicon production site.
June 25, 2025
JinkoSolar has submitted a 133.76MWc solar-plus-storage project in New South Wales to the federal government under the EPBC Act.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK