The country’s patent office, CNIPA, has upheld the validity of a key EPC patent covering the fundamental gate design for enhancement-mode gallium nitride (GaN) transistors—the kind that make fast-charging adapters and efficient data center power supplies possible.
This isn’t just a legal formality. The patent in question, “Compensated gate MISFET and method for fabricating the same,” covers the core architecture that keeps gate leakage low in these high-efficiency devices. Most companies building GaN power chips rely on this very technology, which makes the ruling a big deal for anyone shipping GaN FETs into China.
It’s the second time in a month that CNIPA has backed EPC against a challenge from Innoscience, a Chinese GaN-on-silicon upstart. Earlier in April, the agency confirmed the validity of another EPC patent covering enhancement-mode GaN HEMT devices. Both patents were targeted by Innoscience after EPC sued the company in U.S. federal court and the International Trade Commission last year, alleging infringement.
“Quick, fair and efficient decisions such as these reinforce the confidence in legal systems that companies need to operate globally,” said EPC CEO Alex Lidow. The subtext is clear: even in a market known for IP friction, the rule of law can still protect foundational innovation.
So what does this mean for the rest of us? It signals that GaN’s patent landscape is hardening, not softening. As the technology moves from niche fast chargers into automotive and industrial power systems, the companies that own the core patents—and the courts that defend them—will shape who gets to build the next generation of energy-efficient electronics.
