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Taiwan's Intellectual Property Court ruled on July 7 refuting charge of patent infringement by Heraeus, the world's leading metallization paste supplier, against Giga Solar Materials, Taiwan's major past supplier. Heraeus is examining the ruling, which involves its Taiwan patent No. 1432539, in order to decide whether to appeal the case.
Andreas Liebheit, president of Heraeus Photovoltaics, believes the ruling can have a significant effect on the pace of innovation in the photovoltaic industry, which is vital to accelerate the global adoption of solar power.
"We are surprised and disappointed by the court's ruling because in the course of two years of litigation we saw our strong patent decision confirmed several times," said Liebheit in a press release of the company, adding "While we consider our options to appeal, it is important to note rulings like these send a chilling message to companies throughout our industry which invest significant capital on R&D efforts. Without appropriate protection of legitimate patents and intellectual property, the collective result is less incentive to make necessary investments across the PV industry."
EnergyTrend analysts pointed out that given Giga Solar's substantial market share in Taiwan, the ruling will remove the concern of the effect of the case on the local photovoltaic industry and the status of the local market.