A worker produces a battery for an electric car in a factory in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: IC

Two Chinese battery producers on Thursday strongly denied an allegation of patent infringement made by German battery maker Varta. Industry analysts said that the accusation is ungrounded and Chinese battery production technology is more advanced than that of European countries.

Varta told the Global Times that it has taken legal steps against Chinese battery firms EVE Energy and MIC-Power, both based in South China's Guangdong Province. The move came after Varta alleged that its patents had been infringed by the two Chinese companies, reported Reuters. 

An individual close to EVE Energy surnamed Chen told the Global Times on Thursday that the firm had never received such an allegation concerning patent infringement from any other company. The person stressed that the company definitely does not infringe on the patents of others.

"We have just heard the news and will investigate the case further," she said, adding that its EVE Energy battery products are self-developed.

A source from MIC-Power also told the Global Times on Thursday that this was the first time the company had heard about the case and it denied the allegation."Let them spread this scandal as they like. This is free advertising for us," he said.

Industry analysts said that there is rising competition in the battery production sector worldwide and Chinese companies are at the forefront, with the majority of competitors being located in Asia.

The secretary-general of the China Industrial Association of Power Sources, Liu Yanlong, told the Global Times on Thursday that China, Japan and South Korea dominate the global manufacturing of lithium batteries and the three Asian countries account for more than 95 percent of the global market. 

"Nevertheless, in the early years, many of the core patents may have been in the West. Therefore, in the past two years, we have also faced many intellectual property lawsuits," he noted.

"But China has been putting a lot of effort into the protection of intellectual property rights," Liu said, adding that Chinese companies should study others' businesses but also know how to avoid some issues while making breakthroughs in the field.

Varta makes batteries for the global automotive, industrial and consumer markets, according to the company's website.

Varta noticed in December that the micro batteries of Samsung's premium headsets, which claimed to be supplied by Chinese producers, used the German firm's self-developed and patented battery coin power technology, Nicole Selle, corporate communications with Varta, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Lawyers of Varta have told the retailers that they have to take the Chinese batteries out of their supply, she said.

When asked if the company had contacted the Chinese producers concerning this allegation, she declined to comment.

Varta has been expanding its lithium-ion production, industrial news provider Energy Storage said earlier this month.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence forecasts that global lithium battery capacity will increase by 399 percent over the next decade. China will become a major player in this industry, with the country's lithium battery production capacity reaching 631 gigawatt hours by 2028, accounting for 57.2 percent of the global total, the report said.