GE wins first leg of wind turbine dispute with Siemens Gamesa
General Electric (GE) has succeeded in preventing wind-turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy from importing products into the US.
The US International Trade Commission (USITC) confirmed that it had delivered a decision on Friday, September 10, that upheld GE’s arguments that Siemens had infringed its IP.
In September 2020, the USITC announced that it would investigate a complaint by GE filed two months earlier, that alleged that the German renewable energy company had violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by infringing its patents.
The disputed patents, US numbers 6,921,985 and 7,629,705, cover certain variable speed wind turbine generators and components. The complaint requested that the commission institute an investigation and then issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.
In a statement, GE said: “It is GE’s view that the protection of IP rights is the foundation for driving both innovation and investment in high technology industries generally, and the associated creation of high-value jobs. GE believes strongly in the merits of its case...and will continue to protect its technology in the US.”
In the same month, Siemens Gamesa countered by filing the patent infringement complaint against GEs renewable energy division at the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
In that complaint, Siemens Gamesa alleged that GE’s offshore wind turbine Haliade-X infringed Siemens Gamesa’s offshore direct drive technology patents.
In the notice posted on Friday, USITC Judge Clark Cheney concluded that Siemens Gamesa infringed a GE patent that outlines methods to ensure that turbines remain connected to the grid while voltage fluctuations occur.
But Judge Cheney’s full findings will remain confidential until both companies get the opportunity to redact confidential information.
The agency is scheduled to deliver a final decision on January 10, 2022.
GE’s actions against Siemens follows a spate of patent litigation by the company since it acquired numerous companies in the wind power market in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
GE sued Vestas over its zero-voltage ride-through technology in 2017 and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries over the same technology back in 2008.
GE and Vestas later settled their dispute.
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