This was decided by the American International Trade Commission (ITC). end the Sec. 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, investigation between Shoals and Voltage, relating to solar panel connector products. The ITC has determined that the voltage Sec. 337 by importing connectors and wiring harnesses that infringe patents related to Shoals’ Big Lead Assembly.
This is a reversal of the ITC’s original decision from August 2024. Subsequently, the ITC determined that Voltage’s LYNX trunk bus products infringed patents owned by Shoals (specifically Patent No. 11,689,153). Although the ITC initially found errors, the committee re-examined the matter in November.
Now the investigation is officially over and it turned out that there was no fault on Voltage’s part.
While Shoals has filed ‘153 patent infringement claims against Voltage since 2023, the company has acquired two new patents covering its Big Lead Assembly solutions (Patent Nos. 12,015,375 and 12,015,376). The new patents cover an improved trunk bus cable assembly for solar panels that Shoals says provides protection against alternate designs that Voltage may create to circumvent the original ‘153 patent. Shoals has since filed new patent infringement complaints with the ITC against Voltage for the two new patents.
“We have always been committed to protecting our intellectual property and valuable product portfolio from infringement,” Brandon Moss, CEO of Shoals Technologies Group, said earlier this month in initiating the new complaints. “We will continue to invest in American jobs, support domestic manufacturing and growing energy demand. To do that, we must remain vigilant against foreign entities to help accelerate the reshoring of domestic clean energy production.”
