Solaria Corp drags Canadian Solar into legal battle over patent breach

California based solar technology firm Solaria Corporation has apparently filed a lawsuit against Chinese solar panel producer- Canadian Solar Inc. in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, over charges of infringement of Solaria’s patented technology that separates PV strips from solar cells for use in tiled or shingled solar modules.

Reportedly, in the lawsuit, Solaria mentioned that it introduced its high-efficiency, high-density module novel technology to Canadian Solar in the year 2014 when the latter’s representatives evaluated the next-gen shingling technology developed by Solaris for a potential licensing agreement.

Seemingly, after further interactions between the two companies, Solaria revealed its proprietary technology and business tactics to the Chinese solar giant under a non-disclosure agreement, however, no consequent deals were signed.

Suvi Sharma, CEO, Solaria Corporation was reportedly quoted stating that, the company invested nearly US$200 million towards the development of the technology over a period of ten years with an aim to build the most advanced solar panels worldwide.

As per reliable sources, last year, Canadian Solar Inc. launched a product called HiDM shingled modules, similar to the proprietary HDM technology developed by Solaria and commenced the promotion and sale of the product across the United States.

Notably, the American solar technology firm claims that the HiDM shingled modules from Canadian Solar are similar to its patented technology, for which the company seeks violation and damage relief.

For the record, if warranted, Solaria Corporation aims at introducing additional claims such as a claim for misappropriation of trade secrets and additional patent infringement claims.

Established in the year 1993, Solaria Corporation is an American solar PV technology firm with over 20 years of expertise in solar power innovations and product development. The company’s goals include providing clean energy by developing advanced and fully integrated solar systems.

Source Credits: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/solaria-sues-canadian-solar-patent-234200564.html