It is easy for conductive pastes makers to be involved in patent disputes resulted from pastes’ recipes. However, such an issue has not won enough attention so many manufacturers, especially that focusing on developing and innovating, have been influenced due to patent infringement. Heraeus Photovoltaics, a global supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry, has launched lawsuits regarding the paste patent in several markets, while the company holds a positive attitude to the legal proceedings in lawsuit appealed in Taiwan.
As a company that has been strongly devoting to R&D for metallization pastes for solar cells, Heraeus Photovoltaics launched the patent lawsuit against Taiwan’s Giga Solar, the country’s largest and one of the world’s top-four paste supplier, claiming the validity of its patent, Taiwan Patent No. I432539. This lawsuit was for both Heraeus Photovoltaics’ intellectual property rights and its customers’ benefits.
On August 5, after 14 months of legal proceedings, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court confirmed the validity of Heraeus Photovoltaics’ Taiwan Patent No. I432539 and dismissed all invalidity arguments raised by Giga Solar. In the forthcoming stage the Court now starts a legal examination procedure to determine if the patent is infringed by Giga Solar.
Andreas Liebheit, President Heraeus Photovoltaics, hopes every player in the PV market to show respect toward Heraeus’ intelligent property rights and their R&D achievements.
“Although we cannot predict the outcome of lawsuit, we are well prepared for seeking compensation from those who violate our patents,” stated Liebheit.
Heraeus sees itself on track with the progress of the lawsuit. Up to now, all legal decisions in Taiwan and China confirmed the validity of Heraeus’ patents. With the examination process, the legal procedure now transitions into a final technical and analytical review by the IP Court. In case of findings, which prove potential infringements, Heraeus is very determined to defend its business interests.
Till the end of 2015, Heraeus held more than 300 granted patents and patent applications around the world. Heraeus believes that the lawsuit on patent will strengthen the company’s position as a paste solution supplier, protect their customers, and will improve the development of the whole PV industry into a healthier situation.