JinkoSolar and Longi said they and their affiliates have reached a global settlement covering all ongoing patent litigation. The agreement ends lawsuits in China, the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia, and sets a commercial arrangement that includes cross-licensing of selected core patents.
The companies framed the deal as a demonstration of their commitment to intellectual property protection and industry collaboration. Jinko and Longi said they will continue investing in research and development, accelerate commercialization of advanced technologies, and explore deeper cooperation.
The truce follows more than a year of litigation between the two groups, centered on competing solar cell technologies: tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), backed by Jinko, and back contact (BC), promoted by Longi. The dispute had become emblematic of the industry’s shift from price-driven competition to legal battles over patent portfolios and technological dominance.
The conflict began after Jinko acquired 745 patents from South Korea’s LG Group in 2022, strengthening its position in TOPCon and BC technologies. Jinko then launched a wave of infringement cases. These included suits in China and Japan alleging that Longi’s products violated TOPCon patents, as well as proceedings in Europe and Australia designed to restrict the rollout of Longi’s BC modules.
Longi responded with counterclaims tied to its nearly 200 BC technology patents. It sued Jinko in the US and China, alleging infringement of BC module designs, while also seeking to invalidate Jinko’s patents in Europe and the US. At the same time, Longi accelerated commercialisation of its BC products, which gained market share in Europe, underscoring the commercial stakes behind the legal battles.
At its core, the dispute was as much about business strategy as technology, with the settlement marking an important shift. Cross-licensing may reduce immediate legal risks for both sides, while signaling a broader industry trend toward balancing strict IP defense with pragmatic collaboration.
In their joint statement, Jinko and Longi said they would “explore opportunities for deeper cooperation” in the future, leaving open the possibility of collaboration between the world’s two largest solar manufacturers in next-generation cell technologies.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.