The UK High Court has ruled GE’s Haliade-X turbine does not infringe on a patent held by Siemens Gamesa.
High Court Justice Meade ruled today that GE Renewable Energy’s fully assembled Haliade-X nor its rotor hub infringe on the patent.
The ruling applies to any activity involving the Haliade-X in the UK, where GE Renewable Energy has a contract to supply the turbine to SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vargronn’s Dogger Bank offshore wind farm.
The UK patent case is separate to the patent case against the Haliade-X in the US, which GE is in the process of appealing, and a case in France which is still pending.
In the UK case, GE is understood to have made arguments consistent with those it is making in appealing the decision in the US, where the OEM’s turbine was found to have infringed one of Siemens Gamesa’s patents.
A GE Renewable Energy spokesperson said: “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 Siemens Gamesa spokesperson said: “Siemens Gamesa is committed to protecting its valuable intellectual property rights and will continue to do so. The company is analyzing the UK Court’s ruling and have no further comment at this time.”
Justice Mead said any appeal hearing should take place as early as possible in January 2023.