First Solar filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese solar manufacturer JA Solar and American Panel Solutions (AMPS). AMPS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corning.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. It alleges unauthorized use of First Solar's patented technology for manufacturing TOPCon crystalline silicon solar cells.
The legal action targets U.S. Patent No. 9,130,074. First Solar acquired this patent through its 2013 purchase of TetraSun. This lawsuit is part of a broader campaign by First Solar to protect its intellectual property. First Solar previously filed similar suits against other major solar panel manufacturers. Corning's subsidiary, AMPS, includes a U.S. module assembly plant in Arizona. Corning acquired this plant from JA Solar in 2025.