Canadian Solar wins patent infringement lawsuit against Maxeon
The U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board released its final written decision on the lawsuit between Maxeon Solar Technologies and Canadian Solar Inc., ruling in favor of Kitchener, Ontario-based Canadian Solar.
Canadian Solar Inc. announced its victory in a Jan. 15 press release.
In its decision, the board announced that all claims made by the Singapore-based Maxeon related to alleged patent infringement were invalid in a federal court of law. According to Canadian Solar president Colin Parkin, the final decision affirms the company’s advancements in solar cell technology.
“The final decision issued by the USPTO once again affirms that Canadian Solar’s technology and legal teams have always respected and placed great importance on protecting both our own and our peers’ intellectual property,” says Parkin. “At the same time, we firmly oppose the misuse or weaponization of patents—particularly those lacking patentability or practical value—which can distort competition and impede genuine innovation.”
The court’s final written decision comes nearly a full two years after Maxeon first initiated the lawsuit into Canadian Solar’s PV cell technology, TOPCon, on March 25, 2024. In short, Maxeon asserted that the “fundamentals” of TOPCon’s architecture were visible in Maxeon patents going back to the 2000s, with Robinson adding that the firm was protected by more than 1,650 granted patents at the time. A relatively young brand, TOPCon began module production in 2023.
“Maxeon has a strong heritage in developing solar cell technology, leading the development and commercialization of tunnel oxide passivated contacts,” said Marc Robinson, associate general counsel at Maxeon, in March 2024. “Years before the moniker ‘TOPCon’ started to be used in the industry to describe a tunnel oxide passivated contact-based solar cell, our scientists and engineers had developed several ways to implement TOPCon technology into both back contact and front contact solar cells.”
Robinson and Maxeon would also add innovations by Hanwha Q CELLS and REC Solar Holdings AS to the lawsuit in 2024, following the investigation.
In its post-decision press release, Canadian Solar said the victory “not only reflects the fairness and soundness of the international intellectual property protection framework, but also demonstrates Canadian Solar’s solid technological foundation and its mature legal capabilities.”
Representatives from Canadian Solar add that the firm has filed more than 5,000 patent applications since its founding in 2001, enjoying an acceptance rate of about 80%.
In response to the court ruling, Maxeon issued a follow-up statement on Jan. 15.
“Maxeon is currently evaluating this USPTO ruling and the option to appeal in accordance with applicable procedures,” the company says. “We believe we have credible legal grounds to seek reversal of the decision, and of note is the fact that the USPTO’s ruling upheld the validity of one of our TOPCon patent claims. Maxeon will continue to defend our intellectual property rights across our broad portfolio of solar IP and we do not expect this development to change the Company’s long term strategy.”
Note: This story was edited on Jan. 15, 2026 to include a statement from Maxeon Solar Technologies.
