CHANGCHUN, China, November. 28, 2019 /PVTIME/ — On November 19, 2019, the Mannheim Regional Court heard two cases brought by SolarEdge, an Israeli provider of power optimizers and solar inverters, claiming that Huawei’s PV optimizers infringed on its patents. The court concluded that Huawei did not infringe on SolarEdge’s patent for one case, and deferred the hearing for the other case due to insufficient evidence. On November 21, 2019, the European Patent Office (EPO) heard a patent opposition case brought by Huawei against SolarEdge. The EPO decided to revoke SolarEdge’s patent relating to the inverter multi-level topology.
A Huawei spokesperson welcomed the court’s decision. As one of the world’s largest holders of intellectual property rights, Huawei actively protects its own intellectual property rights and fully respects the rights of others. Huawei advocates the use of legal means to resolve disputes over intellectual property rights, and insists on taking legal action to protect its rights and interests.
In June 2018, SolarEdge filed infringement lawsuits against Huawei over three patents relating to its residential solar inverters and optimizers. Huawei responded actively to the proceedings and chose to defend its rights and interests by legal action. The Mannheim Regional Court heard the cases on November 19, 2019. The judge declared that Huawei did not infringe on the patent relating to optimizer and inverter architecture, and dismissed SolarEdge’s lawsuit directly. As for the patent relating to optimizer power adjustment, on the basis of the detailed test solution submitted by Huawei, the court held that the evidence provided by SolarEdge was insufficient to prove an infringement at this stage and deferred the hearing. Two days later (on November 21), the EPO heard the patent opposition case concerning the inverter multi-level topology. The EPO decided that the SolarEdge patent did not involve an inventive step and the grant of the patent is revoked.
According to a Huawei spokesperson, Huawei has always been a strong advocate and beneficiary of intellectual property protection. More than three decades of experience has taught Huawei that only by fully respecting and protecting intellectual property rights, advocating fair competition, and working with its partners on these bases, can it remain innovative and competitive, create greater value for its customers, and ultimately promote technological progress and social development.
Huawei is a global market leader in solar inverters. It has ranked number one in worldwide solar inverter shipments for four consecutive years since 2015, according to IHS Markit. As a technology company, Huawei has always attached great value to intellectual property rights and their protection in its business operations. Looking forward, Huawei will maintain this stance and continue its efforts in building a sound intellectual property rights ecosystem. Through continuous innovation, Huawei will provide its customers with industry-leading products to help them achieve business success.
