The headquarters of the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Image: Coolcaesar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Chinese-Canadian solar panel manufacturer Canadian Solar has announced a “decisive victory” in its patent litigation proceedings against Singapore-based competitor Maxeon.
According to Canadian Solar, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled in its favor, declaring that “all of Maxeon’s claims against Canadian Solar alleging infringement of patents at issue in federal court are invalid.”
“The USPTO’s final decision reaffirms that Canadian Solar’s technology and legal teams have always respected and attached great importance to the protection of both our own intellectual property and that of our colleagues. At the same time, we firmly oppose the misuse or weaponization of patents – especially those without patentability or practical value – that can distort competition and hinder true innovation,” said Colin Parkin, president of Canadian Solar, without providing further details on the matter.
Maxeon had filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Canadian Solar in March 2024 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The case concerned an unspecified TOPCon solar cell technology.
Maxeon previously sued Canadian Solar in Japan for patent infringement in 2020. In the lawsuit, Maxeon alleged that Canadian Solar Japan infringed Japanese patent No. JP6642841B2, which is related to its shingled solar modules. The two companies reached a settlement agreement in April 2022.
Canadian Solar has faced similar patent claims in the United States. PV manufacturer Solaria has filed three different patent infringement claims against the company, also related to the process of separating photovoltaic strips from solar cells for use in shingles.
Meanwhile, Maxeon also sued Chinese competitor Aiko Solar Energy, as well as wholesaler Memedo GmbH, in November 2023 for alleged patent infringement regarding a specific design related to the architecture of back-contact solar cells. In May 2025, a Dutch court rejected Maxeon’s request for a preliminary injunction, and in December 2025 Maxeon extended the legal action to Aiko and its distributors in Germany.
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