This article explores the different trade-restrictive measures and legal strategies carried out by the United States and the European Union during the solar trade remedies saga. It focuses on the US and EU use of rules of origin as a protectionist device against the alleged circumvention of anti-dumping and countervailing duties, as well as on the cartelizing effect of US and the EU legal strategies with respect to solar trade remedies. It concludes that the US and EU solar trade remedies saga has resulted in the globalization of mercantilism. The elimination of trade remedies on products used in renewable energy is hereby proposed