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Police have taken into custody an executive from a leading energy storage company for investigation amid ongoing patent conflicts with its top competitor. The detained individual, Feng Dengke, previously served as the deputy general manager and head of the president’s office at the company. He was detained in Ningde following a report from a rival company accusing him of business secret infringement. Authorities have reportedly gathered relevant evidence.
The company confirmed Feng’s detention, clarifying that he no longer works at the headquarters. He now holds the position of general manager at a subsidiary focused on sustainable energy development and is solely responsible for business expansion, not involved in research and development activities.
The founder of the company, who was a key figure in its technical team, established the firm in 2019, a year after departing from the Ningde-based industry leader. The firm recently filed for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Disputes between the two firms began in 2023 when the larger company sued the founder for violating a non-compete agreement, resulting in a court order requiring him to pay CNY1 million (approximately USD139,300) in damages.
In June, the dominant energy storage provider filed another lawsuit against the company, alleging unfair competition and claiming damages exceeding CNY100 million (around USD13.9 million). The case is scheduled for trial on August 12.
This leader dominates the global market for energy storage and electric vehicle batteries. Recently, it has been involved in multiple patent disputes with other industry players, including Tafel New Energy Technology, Calb Group, and Svolt Energy Technology.
The energy storage company shipped 35.1 gigawatt-hours of batteries last year, ranking third worldwide with an 11% market share, according to its public filings. The top two positions are held by Chinese competitors, including the industry leader.
Last year, the company’s net profit was CNY287.6 million, reversing a substantial loss of CNY2 billion from the previous year. Revenue increased by 27%, reaching CNY12.9 billion.
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