Berlin, June 24, 2019
Hanwha Qcells understands that certain statements were made regarding Jinko and REC’s filing of an Inter Partes Review (IPR) petition challenging Hanwha Qcells’ patent in response to its patent infringement complaints filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in March. The filing of an IPR petition is a fairly standard reaction in U.S. litigation to a claim of infringement, and Hanwha Qcells believes the petition is without merit.
Hanwha Qcells will defend the validity of its patent rights against Jinko and REC’s claims of invalidity in the IPR as well as in the ITC. However, Hanwha Qcells does not believe it is appropriate to litigate this dispute in the media and therefore does not intend to comment on the substantive legal issues. The ITC has a well-established record of not staying its investigation based on an IPR filing, and the ITC investigation is on track to conclude before any decision is reached in the IPR, if instituted. Hanwha Qcells looks forward to proving its claims in the ITC.
Hanwha Qcells believes that intellectual property (IP) laws exist to incentivize innovation and protect inventions from being unfairly used. If IP laws are not enforced, companies and inventors would have no incentive to develop new products. For consumers, innovation also helps drive down the cost of cutting-edge solar product technologies. As such, Hanwha Qcells take the infringement of its intellectual property rights seriously, and will vigorously defend its patent rights.
For additional information on this matter, please visit www.q-cellsip.com
SAFE-HARBOR STATEMENT
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Hanwha Qcells’s operations and business outlook contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Hanwha Qcells does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.