Hanwha Q Cells sues China’s Astronergy for patent infringement in Germany and France

Hanhwa Q Cells sues a Chinese solar company called Astronergy for patent infringement. The case was filed in Germany and France.

The South Korean solar materials company has taken legal action as a follow-up to the patent lawsuit that the company filed in March 2019 against Longi Solar, REC Solar Pte. Ltd., and Jinko Solar. At that time, Hanhwa Q Cells made the fillings in the U.S., Australia, and Germany.

In June 2020, the Dusseldorf District Court in Germany sided with Hanwha in the first trial and barred the accused companies from importing and selling any of the patent-infringed products in the country. The German court also ordered them to recall the units that they have already sold since Jan. 30, 2019.

The latest court cases initiated by Q Cells

As per The Korea Herald, Hanhwa Q Cells filed the lawsuits on March 12 but this was done separately since it involves two different countries. The Korean solar company is complaining about Astronergy’s misdeed of stealing its patented technology that improves the efficiency of solar cells.

“The lawsuits aim to promote sound competition in research and development and ultimately contribute to the development of the solar power industry,” Daniel Jeong, Hanhwa Q Cell’s chief technology officer, said as a comment to its latest legal case.

It was revealed that on March 19, Hanhwa filed a lawsuit against a Chinese solar company but the name was not disclosed. It was later mentioned that it is Astronergy and based on its profile, its parent company is called Chint Solar.

Hanwha Q Cells vs. Astronergy in Germany and France

Pulse News reported that Hanhwa filed its new case against Astronergy at Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany. It is complaining of the similar solar cell tech infringement case that it previously faced against Longi, REC, and Jinko.

For the case that it filed in France, it was reported that a different Chinese company is involved and it was only identified as “L.” For legal reasons, the details about this company could not be revealed.

Meanwhile, Hanwha Q Cells has an ongoing legal battle with Jinko Solar in the U.S. The first trial was a win for the Shanhai-based solar company so Hanhwa is currently making an appeal to reverse the decision released by the U.S. International Trade Commission.