DJI Sues Insta360 Over Patent Ownership in Drone Technology

Major IP Battle Between China's Two Drone Giants

DJI has filed a lawsuit against Insta360 (影石) at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, marking the first time DJI has initiated patent ownership disputes in China. The case involves six patents covering critical drone technologies including flight control, structural design, and image processing.

The Allegations

DJI claims that the patents in question were invented by former DJI core R&D employees within one year of leaving the company. Under Chinese patent law, inventions made within one year of an employee's departure that relate to their former work responsibilities belong to the former employer.

The lawsuit alleges that multiple former DJI engineers who joined Insta360 contributed to these patents, which closely relate to work they performed at DJI. In a particularly damning detail, DJI notes that Insta360's Chinese patent applications list one inventor as "request not to disclose name," but the corresponding international patent applications clearly show the person's real identity — a former DJI core R&D engineer.

Patent Areas

The six disputed patents cover:

• Drone flight control systems — core autonomous flight algorithms
• Structural design — physical frame and component architecture
• Image processing — camera and gimbal technology

Significance

This case is significant for several reasons:

1. First domestic patent suit from DJI — While DJI has been involved in numerous IP disputes internationally, this is the first time it has pursued patent ownership claims within China
2. Employee mobility tensions — The case highlights the competitive pressure between DJI and Insta360 for engineering talent
3. Precedent setting — The outcome could establish important precedents for how Chinese courts handle trade secret and patent ownership disputes in the tech sector

The case has generated 1.49 million engagement points on Zhihu, reflecting significant public interest in the battle between China's two most prominent drone manufacturers.