DJI in court over its unreleased FPV drone and motion controller

As we near the launch of DJI’s FPV drone, the company is already in court over a possible patent infringement of its new FPV drone and motion controller. Minnesota-based QFO Labs has filed a patent infringement lawsuit.

DJI is currently in a court battle in Wilmington, Delaware, with the hopes to receive a declaration that states its FPV drone and motion controller don’t infringe on the related patents.

For those who aren’t aware, DJI’s upcoming FPV drone will be controlled with a one-handed motion controller, similar to the control stick you would find in a fighter jet. The company battling with DJI, QFO Labs states that DJI’s motion controller has similar features to its offerings.

What’s more interesting is that QFO Labs sent a Swiss company, MotionPilot S.A., a “form license agreement covering at least one of the patents,” which has worked with DJI to develop the motion controller.

The case is still ongoing, so it’s unclear if the products infringe on the company’s patents. You can take a look at the two controllers side-by-side to see for yourself. DJI shared that the threat of a lawsuit will be bad news for itself, its suppliers, and customers.

DJI vs. Autel Robotics

It’s not the first time DJI has hit the US courts of potential patent infringements, with Autel Robotics taking them to court last year over the propeller locking mechanism and the foldable arms that keep the drone off the ground.

The result of that clash ended with a judge saying that Autel’s technology is actually not patentable, resulting in the case being thrown out. DJI’s law firm Finnegan stated:

“Ultimately the Commission may decide that Autel deserves no remedy at all, but at a minimum, the Commission is unlikely to enforce any exclusion order or cease-and-desist order based on the three invalid patents. DJI’s sales in the U.S., therefore, will not be affected by Autel’s claims.”

Photo: DJI & QFO Labs