Judge Richard Meade of London’s High Court has ruled in favour of GE in a patent infringement dispute with Siemens Gamesa over the design of the GE Haliade-X offshore wind turbine.
In its lawsuit against GE, Siemens Gamesa claimed that the Haliade-X infringed its European patent related to the use of bearings in rotor hubs for wind turbines.
GE had denied the infringement and said that the patent was invalid.
Judge Meade has ruled ”…that the Patent is invalid…” and that ”neither the fully assembled Haliade-X nor its hub fall within the scope of claims … of the Patent.”
The appeal hearing should take place in early January 2023, Judge Meade said.
This patent infringement lawsuit is separate from the one Siemens Gamesa had won in the USA earlier this year and which GE is in the process of appealing.
GE said that this case involved the UK counterpart to the patent Siemens Gamesa asserted in the US, and that GE had made arguments consistent with those the company is making in appealing the decision in the patent case against the Haliade-X in the US.
”We are pleased with the court’s ruling, which reinforces our view that not only is the technology in the Haliade-X different from other patented technology, but the patent in question and its counterparts should not have been issued in the first place. We remain committed to bringing the benefits of the Haliade-X to offshore wind customers globally, and we will continue to defend our technology by pursuing all legal and technical options available to us,” a spokesperson for GE Renewable Energy said.