According to the Financial Associated Press on January 3 (Reporter Liu Mengran), photovoltaic technology patent disputes have once again ignited "war flames" as JinkoSolar (688223.SH) has sued LONGi Green Energy Technology in the Intermediate People's Court of Nam Cheong. JinkoSolar demands that LONGi Green Energy Technology (601012.SH) immediately cease infringement of related invention patent rights and compensate for economic losses. The case has been officially filed.

Regarding the progress of this case, JinkoSolar indicated to the Financial Associated Press reporter that the relevant patents involved include invention patents for Solar Cells and their preparation methods, photovoltaic components, and Solar Cell modules, which pertain to TOPCon Battery Technology and component technology.

As of the time of publication, LONGi Green Energy Technology has not responded to this matter.

According to the Tianyancha App, LONGi Green Energy Technology has recently added a new case involving a dispute over infringement of invention patent rights. The plaintiff is Shangrao Xinyuan Yuandong Technology Development Co., Ltd., which is a member enterprise of JinkoSolar, with legal representative Li Xiande. The defendants include LONGi Green Energy Technology.

JinkoSolar is one of the earliest companies to promote TOPCon technology, with an N-type Battery production capacity exceeding 75GW. The company has previously stated that it encourages achieving win-win situations in the Industry through patent licensing and paid usage, but strongly opposes the practice of "using without permission."

However, it should be noted that while both are leading companies in photovoltaic component shipments, LONGi Green Energy Technology and JinkoSolar do not follow the same technical route, and LONGi Green Energy Technology has not focused its efforts on the TOPCon area, instead planning HPBC 2.0 by the end of 2025, aiming for a production capacity of around 50GW.

Some industry analysts told Financial Associated Press reporters that while TOPCon Battery Technology is becoming a "mainstream technology," it is also facing competitive challenges, with numerous enterprises entering the TOPCon field leading to exceptionally intense market competition, rapid product price declines, and shrinking profit margins for enterprises, with most struggling to achieve profitability except for a few leading companies.

The photovoltaic technology is rapidly updating, and since last year, patent infringement disputes have frequently occurred. Currently, integrated companies ranking high in module shipments are either actively or passively involved in photovoltaic patent disputes. For example, Trina Solar Co., Ltd. (688599.SH) accused Canadian Solar (688472.SH) of infringing on its TOPCon Battery technology patent. According to reports, after Trina Solar Co., Ltd. registered its Intellectual Property Protection with customs, Shanghai customs seized a batch of N-type module products from Canadian Solar destined for Europe.

LONGi Green Energy Technology's president Li Zhengguo publicly stated that previously, the industry's development speed surpassed the development speed of production capacity, and even if some patents of companies were used by others, it was not a major concern. However, in a situation of severe supply-demand imbalance, when others use one's own technology to seize one's own market, awareness of rights protection and pressure would increase.

He further stated that the country is also improving the Intellectual Property Protection system, and the protection力度 will strengthen in the future. Companies need to consciously establish a technological moat for the photovoltaic industry to develop healthily and orderly.

In July 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the "Regulatory Conditions for the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry (2024 Edition)" (draft for comments), aiming to enhance the management of the photovoltaic manufacturing industry and promote the industry's transformation, upgrading, and jiegoutiaozheng. The document particularly emphasizes the importance of Intellectual Property Protection, encourages companies to strengthen the development, application, and protection of Intellectual Property, and establish a sound Intellectual Property compliance management system to promote the high-quality development of China's photovoltaic industry.