China’s Innoscience responds to Infineon’s European GaN lawsuits

News | June 17, 2024

By Peter Clarke

power GaN gallium nitride

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China’s gallium nitride semiconductor maker Innoscience has questioned the validity of the patent at the heart of Infineon’s most recent claims of patent infringement against it.

After filing a lawsuit in the US in March 2024, claiming Innoscience infringed a patent on gallium nitride technology (see Infineon sues Innoscience over US GaN patents – update) Infineon filed similar lawsuits in the Munich District Court in Germany. The court issued a preliminary injunction that ordered that products alleged to infringe could be shown by Innoscience at the PCIM Europe 2024 exhibition in Nuremberg.

In its response Innoscience has pointed out that the injunction was obtained “ex parte,” meaning Innoscience did not have the opportunity to be represented or respond to the injunction.

Innoscience also asserts that the patent referenced in the injunction does not cover fundamental aspects of GaN power semiconductors, as Infineon claims, but instead is specifically related to packaging of GaN transistors. These should leaves Innoscience free to sell GaN wafers, the company argues.

At the same time Innoscience claims in its response that the injunction only applied to the PCIM tradeshow and does not impact its ability to produce, utilize, distribute, offer for sale, or import its advanced GaN products in Germany for customers outside the trade show.

Infineon has also filed several other patent infringements Innoscience but said although significant these claims only cover a fraction of its 650V to 700V GaN transistor product range. Innoscience said it believes that Infineon’s allegations are unfounded and plans to defend itself before the Munich Court and hold Infineon accountable.