Skip to main content

Drone Wars: DJI just filed a lawsuit against Yuneec for patent infringement

first responders using drones dji phantom 4 hands on 0025
Leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Chinese manufacturer DJI is headed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California to seek damages from one of its largest competitors. According to a press release, DJI filed a patent infringement lawsuit against both Yuneec International Co. Ltd. and Yuneec USA, Inc. .

“The complaint asserts that Yuneec’s products and technology infringe two DJI patents and seeks injunctive relief to halt the further sale of the infringing Yuneec products and systems,” reads the statement.

Recommended Videos

The complaint specifically cites patent numbers 9,164,506, titled “Systems and methods for target tracking” and 9,280,038, titled “Interchangeable Mounting Platform.” The company reiterates its expenditure of time and resources over the years to develop its products. It calls its describes its technology as “fundamental to the future of UAV and related industrial applications.”

DJI concedes that it welcomes the competition, but also must protect its intellectual property. The filing is intended to extend that protection to its customers and partners as well as to promote innovation all around.

Digital Trends recently reviewed the Phantom 4 drone, and we were impressed with its accident avoidance, maneuverability, and quality of video capture. Though Yuneec did have sense and avoid tech available for demonstration at CES with its Typhoon H, DJI was the first to put a functioning unit into production. Yuneec partnered with investor Intel to utilize its RealSense technology for its crash-avoidance features. There has been no news of a release date for the Typhoon H.

DJI holds hundreds of patents worldwide, including at over 30 in the U.S., with another 50 pending. The drone manufacturer is represented by the Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Albert Khoury
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power optionsĀ and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more
CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation
Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Read more
This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio
acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."

Read more