Maxeon Solar Files Fresh Lawsuit Against Aiko Energy over Alleged Patent Infringement

Singapore-based Maxeon Solar Technologies said it had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Aiko Energy in a Dutch court, ramping up its legal fight with the Chinese panel maker.

Maxeon has accused Aiko and its affiliates of infringing on the design patent of its All-Back Contact solar cells which produce higher energy yield than conventional cells in the Hague District Court.

The company, which designs and manufactures Maxeon and SunPower brand solar panels, has already sued Aiko in a German court in November on similar grounds.

In response to the lawsuit filed in Germany, Aiko had said its products were "fundamentally different" from the technology protected by Maxeon's patent.

Maxeon said it has also issued a cease and desist letter to Aiko, and asked it to retract its earlier claims about the technology, which Maxeon termed "legally incorrect and misleading."

"Aiko's own patents do not preclude Aiko from infringing patents held by third parties, including Maxeon's patents," Maxeon executive Marc Robinson said in a statement.