PVTIME – JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (the “Company,” or “JinkoSolar”) (NYSE: JKS), announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”) issued a Rule 36 summary affirmance agreeing with the International Trade Commission’s (“ITC”) conclusion that JinkoSolar’s products do not infringe a patent asserted by Hanwha Q CELLS (“Hanwha”).
In March 2019, Hanwha initiated ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-1151 against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar, and REC Group, asserting that the companies infringe U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215.
In June 2020, the Commission issued its final determination in JinkoSolar’s favor, affirming the Administrative Law Judge’s initial determination in April, which was based on analysis of detailed, expert testimony, that JinkoSolar’s products do not infringe Hanwha’s patent.
After Hanwha appealed the case, a three judge panel from the Federal Circuit agreed decisively with the ITC. The facts are so clear in the case that the Federal Circuit did not issue a written opinion.
“We welcome this decision by the Federal Circuit, which confirms what we have known from the start: our products do not infringe Hanwha’s patent,” said Mr. Xiande Li, Chairman and CEO of JinkoSolar. “Cases like these are a transparent attempt to disrupt business, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to innovation and product leadership. JinkoSolar is a true innovator with record-breaking technology, and we remain focused on providing our customers with the industry-leading, high-quality, high-performance solar modules they have come to expect.”
