Centron Solar changes name to Grape Solar

Centron Solar once said it wants to be the Wal-Mart of solar energy. That may still be true. But now the company is trying to sound a little more like Apple Computers. At least that’s part of the thinking behind the company’s decision Wednesday to change its name to Grape Solar. “Remember Apple Computer 20 years ago? Nobody knew what they were,” said Ocean Yuan, president of the Eugene-based solar module manufacturer that launched in July. “Blackberry? Nobody knew what they were.”

Despite the fruit-themed logic, combined with the notion that grapes grow with the help of solar energy, the real cause of the name change is rooted in a lawsuit filed Sept. 28 in U.S. District Court in Arizona. CentroSolar Group AG, a $440 million German solar products manufacture, filed the trademark infringement lawsuit claiming Centron Solar was intentionally trying to confuse customers.  Munich-based CentroSolar, which has U.S. operations based in Scottsdale, Ariz., said it has developed an established global brand since being founded in 2007, with global revenue rising to $440 million in 2008.

Centron only launched in July and is backed by a consortium of 30 Chinese companies. CentroSolar said Centron’s appearance at the same trade shows created confusion among customers. In addition, Centron registered an Internet domain name that was merely an “n” apart from that of CentroSolar’s, something the lawsuit alleges was done “with the bad faith intent to profit from plaintiff’s CentroSolar mark and to confuse customers.”

The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order and injunction against Centron’s use of its name, the company’s profits generated while using the name, and between $1,000 and $100,000 in damages related to Centron’s use of its domain name, among other items. Yuan said nobody in his company was aware of CentroSolar, therefore had no malicious intentions. The Centron Solar name was chosen by a Springfield, Ore., marketing company. The fledgling solar company decided against fighting the lawsuit and changed the company name and Web site to Grape Solar Wednesday.

“We don’t want to spend our energy on that,” Yuan said. The company has a plan to open up at least six solar module assembly facilities across North America. Yuan said the first is likely to be in Lane County and could eventually employ between 300 and 400. Grape Solar is also scouting sites in Vancouver, Wash., where the company toured a former Panasonic plant in August, and has a tour of another site scheduled for later this month. Yuan also said the company is working with an investment firm in Toronto to put an assembly plant in the Canadian city.