Maxeon Solar Technologies has initiated a patent infringement lawsuit against Aiko Energy in a Dutch court. The lawsuit, filed in the Hague District Court, accuses Aiko and its affiliates of infringing on the design patent of Maxeon's All-Back Contact solar cells, renowned for their superior energy yield compared to conventional cells.
Maxeon, a designer and manufacturer of solar panels under the Maxeon and SunPower brands, had previously filed a similar lawsuit against Aiko in a German court in November. The allegations in both cases center around the purported violation of design patents related to innovative solar cell technology.
Responding to the initial lawsuit in Germany, Aiko Energy asserted that its products were “fundamentally different” from the technology protected by Maxeon's patent. Undeterred, Maxeon has now issued a cease and desist letter to Aiko, urging the company to retract statements that Maxeon deems “legally incorrect and misleading.”
Maxeon executive Marc Robinson emphasized that Aiko's possession of its own patents does not absolve it from potentially infringing on patents held by third parties, including Maxeon's. The legal maneuvering underscores the intensifying competition and intellectual property disputes within the rapidly evolving solar energy industry.
