Hanwha appeals French court decision over Longi seizure

South Korean's Hanwha Solutions, the parent of solar manufacturer Hanwha Q Cells, has appealed a French court decision ordering the reversal of the seizure of products from Chinese rival Longi Solar, which was made at Hanwha's request in 2021.

Hanwha has issued a press release detailing its appeal against a decision made by the interim relief judge of the Tribunal judiciaire de Paris on June 7. The judge ordered the withdrawal of a patent dispute-related evidentiary seizure made at Hanwha’s request in February 2021 at the premises of a Longi distributor in France.

Hanwha said it had appealed the decision in the Court of Appeal of Paris. It also rejected allegations made by Longi, and reported by pv magazine, that it had “purposely misled” the French court and had sought to “obtain highly confidential, sensitive information from its competitor.”

Hanwha claimed that it did not intentionally mislead the court.

“Hanwha believes that it had disclosed all relevant information to the tribunal when it requested an evidentiary seizure in February 2021,” it said in a statement. “After the evidentiary seizure took place at the premises of a Longi distributor in France, Hanwha cooperated in good faith with the Longi distributor and redacted information deemed confidential from the seized documents.”

Hanwha also cast doubt on another claim by Longi, reported by pv magazine, that the recent French court ruling could affect a separate lawsuit between the two parties in the Netherlands. Longi Solar has yet to comment on the matter.