While the world might be focused on the billion-dollar AI battles shaking up film and tech industries, another battle is heating up between two Chinese tech giants. DJI has filed a new lawsuit against Insta360 alleging multiple counts of patent infringement.

And while this lawsuit and battle might not be as far-reaching as the deals being broken by OpenAI and Disney, make no mistake—this is a big deal as DJI and Insta360 are major manufacturers of some of the best drones, gimbals, and other filmmaking and videography gear, which working professionals often rely on these days.

Here’s the latest on the lawsuit and what this heating-up battle could mean for those working in aerial videography and filmmaking.

DJI and Insta360 Legal Battle

According to reports filed by the South China Morning Post, DJI has filed a lawsuit against Insta360, alleging that Arashi Vision (Insta360’s parent company) violated six patents related to drone technology.

Without getting too much into the legal mumbo-jumbo here, it appears that this lawsuit is focused on Insta360’s involvement with the development of the Antigravity A1 drone, a new DJI drone competitor that has always been presented as Insta360-adjacent.

With DJI facing its own battles with the US government over a drone ban, the situation has left a messy situation for all involved: some Chinese companies are allowed to ship new drones to the US, while others are not.

Insta360’s Response to the Lawsuit

All to say, there’s a lot going on here at once. For its part, the founder of Insta360 has responded to the lawsuit, claiming that the “evidence shows that all ideas and innovations were independently created at Insta360,” and that if DJI wanted the patent they are suing over, “they could’ve just asked for it.”

You read Insta360’s founder JK Liu’s full response here on Weibo.

Overall, this fight doesn’t seem to be clearing up anytime soon. But, for immediate concerns, it doesn’t look like any products for either brand will be held up or suddenly made unavailable.

Still, this isn’t a great sign for the industry's overall health, as these lawsuits will likely divert resources from both brands and potentially set back the development of new products in the future.

From Your Site Articles
insta360dronesdrone battleaerial cinematographyantigravityantigravity a1lawsuitdji
Cinematography & CamerasTopics