Heraeus Photovoltaics, the worldwide leading supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry, announced that the lawsuit against Giga Solar has entered the next stage of the proceedings. On August 5, after 14 months of legal proceedings, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court confirmed the validity of Heraeus' 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.
Heraeus is confident that the results of this examination will support all allegations of the lawsuit. By end of 2015 Heraeus Photovoltaics held more than 300 granted patents and patent applications around the world. The examination, which is now being launched, will be another milestone in the legal process, supporting the role of Heraeus in providing innovative metallization solutions for significant improvements in solar cell technology. These legal measures are a safeguard to protect the company's significant investments in R&D and the innovations they provide to solar cell customers around the world.
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.
"It is our clear expectation that all market players respect Heraeus' intellectual property rights and 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 Andreas Liebheit, President Heraeus Photovoltaics.
About the Heraeus Photovoltaics Global Business Unit
The Heraeus Photovoltaics Global Business Unit is an industry leading developer and manufacturer of silver metallization pastes for the photovoltaic industry. For over 40 years, Heraeus has built a reputation of innovation, extensive research and new product development in thick film technologies for some of the most prominent companies within a variety of industries. In the field of photovoltaics, the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit applies this history and its innovative technology to offer metallization pastes for solar cell applications. The Heraeus SOL Series of silver pastes is specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for cell manufacturers.
About the Heraeus Group
Heraeus, the technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a leading international family-owned company formed in 1851. We create high-value solutions for our customers, strengthening their competitiveness for the long term. Our activities focus on a number of markets: chemical and metals, energy and the environment, communications and electronics, health, mobility, and industrial applications. In fiscal year 2013, Heraeus achieved product revenue of EUR3.6 billion and precious metals trading revenue of EUR13.5 billion. With some 12,500 employees in over 110 subsidiaries worldwide, Heraeus holds a leading position in its global markets.
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