PVTIME – Leading US thin-film photovoltaic manufacturer First Solar has initiated federal legal proceedings against JA Solar, a subsidiary of the JinkoSolar Group, and American Panel Solutions (AMPS), a US-based module service provider. The complaint, which concerns the alleged unauthorised use of key solar-cell intellectual property rights, has been lodged with the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
Contrary to preliminary summaries, which referenced thin-film-related patents, the dispute centres on First Solar’s TOPCon crystalline silicon manufacturing patent (US Patent No. 9,130,074), which covers core tunnel oxide passivated contact cell production workflows. First Solar alleges that JA Solar’s affiliates and American Panel Solutions have imported, assembled, and sold photovoltaic hardware in the US market that makes use of this protected technical invention without securing the necessary licences.
In an official corporate statement, Jason Dymbort, First Solar’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, emphasised the company’s determination to protect its intellectual property portfolio in the United States and worldwide. The legal action seeks remedies including compensatory damages and injunctions to halt further allegedly infringing product activity within US commercial channels.
This filing is part of First Solar’s broader IP enforcement strategy amid intense competition in America’s rapidly expanding solar market. It adds to the company’s ongoing series of legal moves to defend its TOPCon patent estate against overseas solar manufacturers supplying products to the US. Neither JA Solar nor American Panel Solutions has issued a public response addressing the specific infringement allegations at the time of this news release.
The outcome of the Delaware court case has significant commercial implications. If First Solar wins, the ruling could change the way certain JA Solar-origin modules are traded and create new compliance pressures for US partners involved in assembling and distributing solar panels.
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