3月3日，据外媒Mercom报道，隆基绿能在美国向晶科能源发起TOPCon专利诉讼，要求禁止晶科在美国销售涉诉产品，并索赔经济损失。

报道称，中国光伏组件制造商隆基绿能（LONGi）已向美国德克萨斯州东区联邦地区法院起诉晶科能源（Jinko Solar）及其子公司，指控其侵犯了专利权。

诉讼认为，晶科能源的隧穿氧化层钝化接触（TOPCon）技术及其他多款光伏组件产品侵害了隆基的美国专利。

隆基寻求法院颁布禁令，禁止晶科在美国销售涉诉产品，并索赔经济损失。此次诉讼是晶科此前起诉隆基专利侵权的法务反制措施，标志着两家光伏企业间专利纠纷的升级。

截至2024年6月，隆基累计拥有3,166项授权专利，构建了涵盖TOPCon等技术的多领域专利组合。随着光伏行业从单晶PERC技术向TOPCon转型，全球范围内围绕TOPCon技术的专利争议显著激增，中国、欧洲及美国已成为主要诉讼战场。

去年，中国组件商天合光能（Trina Solar）曾在美国特拉华州联邦法院起诉加拿大太阳能（Canadian Solar）三家美国子公司，指控其侵犯两项TOPCon技术专利。对此，加拿大太阳能以诉讼缺乏依据为由予以驳回。

根据Mercom印度太阳能市场 leaderboard 2024年上半年数据，晶科能源与隆基绿能位列全球光伏组件供应商前两名。

原文如下：

Chinese solar module manufacturer LONGi has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Jinko Solar and its subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The lawsuit alleges that Jinko Solar’s tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and multiple other photovoltaic module products infringe LONGi’s U.S. patents.

TOPCon technology is an advanced solar cell architecture that has gained popularity rapidly because it enhances energy yield and efficiency compared to the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) technology.

LONGi is seeking a court order to prohibit Jinko from selling the alleged infringing products in the U.S. and is also demanding financial compensation for damages.

The lawsuit follows Jinko’s infringement lawsuit against LONGi, making it a legal countermeasure in the ongoing patent dispute between the solar manufacturers.

LONGi held 3,166 authorized patents as of June 2024. The company has established patent portfolios across multiple technological fields, including TOPCon.

Patent disputes among solar companies have become more frequent recently, with intellectual property rights protection emerging as a key topic at major industry conferences.

The solar industry’s transition from Mono PERC technology to TOPCon has resulted in a recent surge of intellectual property disputes related to TOPCon, particularly in China, Europe, and the U.S.

Last year, Chinese module manufacturer Trina Solar filed a patent infringement lawsuit against three U.S. subsidiaries of Canadian Solar in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

The lawsuit claimed that Canadian Solar’s subsidiaries violated two of Trina’s U.S. patents on TOPCon technology. Canadian Solar has dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous.  Jinko Solar and LONGi Green Energy Technology were among the top solar module suppliers in 1H 2024, according to Mercom’s India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2024.