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.
