The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has terminated an investigation into the global provider of utility-scale wire (solar, electrical balance of systems) solutions company Voltage’s patent infringement through its LYNX trunk bus solution.

The investigation cleared Voltage of violating ITC’s Section 337 for importing and selling its trunk bus solution.

Shoals Technologies Group initiated the investigation in May 2023, accusing Voltage of infringing on its patents, including its big lead assembly technology for trunk bus solutions.

The investigation termination follows earlier dismissals of claims that Voltage infringed on two other patents on trunk bus solutions and in-line fuses.

Voltage said it introduced its trunk bus solutions to the market in 2019, four years before Shoals’ patent was issued in June 2023.

In September 2024, Shoals received a favorable ITC ruling in its patent infringement complaint against Voltage. Shoals had issued two new patents covering Shoals’ BLA technology, U.S. Patents 12,015,375 and 12,015,376, in addition to the ‘153 (U.S. Patent 11,689,153) patent that Voltage was found to violate.

In November 2024, the Commission issued its notice determining the judge’s initial determination to review. It declined Shoals’ request to review the finding that Voltage’s alternative LYNX design does not infringe Shoals’ patent. However, the Commission examined whether Voltage’s LYNX design can continue to be imported.

According to investment bank ROTH Capital Partners, the decision effectively reversed the administrative law judge’s initial determination and found no violation. It said approximately 87% of similar Section 337 cases result in a final determination that upholds the initial determination.

It added that Shoals recently filed a new Section 337 case to broaden the language to allow new patents to be applied to alternative and existing designs.

The new lawsuit is projected to take 12-18 months to file. The latest trial is expected to begin in October/November 2025, and the initial determination is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

There has recently been a surge in intellectual property disputes involving clean energy companies, especially those related to TOPCon solar technology in recent months, particularly in China, Europe, and the U.S.

In April 2024, Maxeon Solar Technologies, a Singapore-based solar solutions provider, filed infringement claims against Canadian Solar, REC Solar, and Hanwha for violating three patents on TOPCon technology.