Canadian Solar is facing a patent infringement lawsuit from McKeon Solar Technologies in the Eastern District of Texas. The lawsuit alleges that Canadian Solar has infringed on McKeon’s patents related to its Tunnel Oxide Contact Passivated (TOPCon) solar cell technology.
According to Marc Robinson, assistant general counsel at McKeon, the company has a strong history of developing solar cell technology and has been at the forefront of the development and commercialization of tunnel oxide passivated contacts. He notes that McKeon scientists and engineers have been working to implement TOPCon technology in back- and front-contact solar cells for years before the term “TOPCon” became widely used in the industry. Makeon holds numerous patents related to TOPCon technology, some of which date back to the early 2000s.
This lawsuit represents McKeon’s first attempt to enforce its patent rights in the United States, and the company plans to continue to vigorously defend its patents in the US and other markets.