KYOTO, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) filed a complaint in Tokyo District Court today against Hanwha Q CELLS Japan Co., Ltd., for infringement of a Kyocera patent relating to solar modules.
The complaint was filed after extensive negotiations regarding Kyocera’s Japanese patent for a “three-bus-bar electrode structure” that increases energy conversion efficiency in solar modules (Japanese patent no. 4953562).
Kyocera is negotiating with other parties regarding the patent.
Kyocera has conducted continuous research and development of solar energy technologies since 1975. The “three-bus-bar electrode structure” patented by Kyocera in March 2012 has been a key technology utilized in the company’s solar cells since setting a world record for energy conversion efficiency* in 2004. Kyocera recognizes intellectual property as a vital company asset and will take those measures necessary to protect and enforce it.
* Achieved world-record efficiency of 17.7% in research tests of 150mm×155mm multicrystalline silicon solar cells (2004).
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of electronic components, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, mobile phones, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2014, the company’s net sales totaled 1.45 trillion yen (approx. USD14.1 billion). The company is ranked #531 on Forbes magazine’s 2014 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, and was named as the world’s No.1 manufacturer of advanced ceramics in the latest ranking by Ceramic Industry magazine.
