JAKARTA - The rivalry between DJI Technology and Arashi Vision, the company behind the Insta360 camera, continues in court. Two Chinese technology companies based in Shenzhen are in dispute over smart camera and drone patents.
As reported by Yicai Global, quoted, Sunday, July 5, the case between DJI and Arashi Vision is scheduled to begin next month in mainland China. The two companies had previously sued each other in the United States in June, but both withdrew the lawsuit before the end of the month.
DJI first filed a lawsuit in a number of Chinese courts. The company known as the drone giant accused Arashi Vision of infringing patents related to the Luna series, DJI's handheld gimbal camera.
Gimbal is a camera stabilizer that helps the image remain stable when the device is moving. This device is widely used to make videos so that they are not easily shaken.
One of the cases accepted by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, Guangdong Province, is scheduled to be heard on August 3. The information was provided by a source familiar with the case to Yicai Global.
In the lawsuit, DJI asked the court to order Arashi Vision to immediately stop all activities that allegedly violated the patent. These activities include the production and sale of the products in question.
DJI is also seeking compensation for economic losses and legal costs incurred to defend its patents.
Arashi Vision is not standing still. The company known for its Insta360 cameras filed six counterclaims against DJI in several courts, including in Shenzhen and Ningbo.
Arashi Vision's counterclaim concerns a number of patents. Among them are panoramic image technology, editing, bullet-time shooting techniques, camera heat control systems, camera add-on modules, and gimbal stabilization technology.
Bullet-time is a shooting technique that makes objects look like they're frozen or moving slowly, while the camera seems to spin around them. Techniques like this are popular in action cameras and creative video content.
This dispute did not come out of nowhere. DJI and Arashi Vision are both aggressively entering their main market.
In July last year, DJI launched its first panoramic camera, the Osmo 360. This move brought DJI deeper into the territory that had been strong in the hands of Arashi Vision through Insta360.
On the other hand, Arashi Vision is starting to enter the drone business. The company partnered with third parties to develop the Antigravity drone brand. At the end of the year, Antigravity released the Antigravity A1, which is said to be the world's first panoramic drone.
In March, DJI filed its first patent lawsuit against Arashi Vision. The lawsuit involved six drone-related patents.
Then, in mid-June, the two companies filed patent infringement lawsuits against each other in the United States. However, the case was withdrawn at the end of the month.
A source close to DJI told Yicai Global that the withdrawal of the lawsuit in the United States was related to the company's global business strategy. The decision was also referred to as an effort to organize manpower and costs to handle legal cases more efficiently.
According to the source, the decision does not mean that DJI is easing its stance in protecting its patents.
This dispute is important because DJI and Arashi Vision are not small players. In the smart handheld camera market, the two are the world's two largest manufacturers based on shipment volume.
Data from International Data Corporation or IDC shows that DJI shipped 10.4 million units last year. That figure makes DJI control 62 percent of the market share.
Arashi Vision is in second place with 3.4 million units shipped. Its market share reaches 20 percent.
With such a market position, the patent dispute between DJI and Arashi Vision is important for the direction of smart camera and drone competition.
This matter shows one thing. In the smart camera and drone market, innovation is now running side by side with a patent battle.
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