The ITC wants to launch a Section 337 investigation into drones

August 30, 2018，Autel Robotics USA LLC filed an application with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)，It alleges that Certain Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Components Thereof, imported into the United States and sold in the domestic market, infringe its patent rights，Application for Commencement of a 337 Investigation (DN 3335) (hereinafter referred to as UAV 337 Investigation)，And issued limited exclusion orders and restraining orders。The complainant recommends that the ITC list DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. and its affiliates, as well as iFlight Technology Co., LTD., Hong Kong, China, as the designated respondent in this case。

Dji is not the first company involved in the 337 investigation, but it is the first time that DJI drones are directly targeted

DJI Innovation Technology Co., LTD. (DJI) is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicle control systems and UAV solutions, with customers in more than 100 countries around the world.。In recent years, with the continuous progress and development of DJI's UAV research and development, DJI has also begun to face various "suppression", legal proceedings and quasi-litigation continue, and DJI has also begun to appear in the 337 survey!

On November 28, 2017, the ITC of the United States officially launched the 337 investigation on batteries and electronic chemical devices containing composite separators and similar components (hereinafter referred to as the "Lithium Battery 337 Investigation Case") at the request of LG Chemical and Toray Company of Japan.。Among them, ATL Energy Technology Co., LTD., DJI Company and its affiliates are listed as the designated respondent。According to the public complaint, DJI was involved mainly because its drones used ATL's lithium batteries。

Although the lithium battery 337 investigation case, DJI company was involved for the first time, but because of the use of ATL lithium batteries and passive involvement, the basic impact on its main business is not large。The UAV 337 survey is directed at DJI's fist products, worthy of attention。

There's a reason the U.S. is eyeing DJI!

3D Robotics, the most powerful drone company in the United States, lost to DJI, and DJI's monopoly position in the global consumer drone market can not be shaken!3D Robotics was once the most powerful drone manufacturer in the United States, with a market valuation of 3.$500 million。2015～2016年间，With the Solo, 3D Robotics aims to challenge the DJI Phantom's dominance in the consumer drone market，But it ended in failure，More than 150 employees were laid off，Burn through about $100 million，It even completely changed its business strategy - exiting the consumer drone market，Transformed into an enterprise services software company，But the situation after the transition is not optimistic，It faces competition from a host of Silicon Valley startups。

Anderson, founder of 3D Robotics, said of DJI, "At least for now, they are close to monopolizing the consumer drone market.。According to Skylogic Research, a U.S. drone industry research institute, DJI is already one of the major players in the North American drone market, accounting for about two-thirds of the market share。

Dji R&D is still advancing by leaps and bounds!PS Patent database query (Query date: September 3, 2018)，Dji has filed more than 4,000 patent applications worldwide，The fields involved include the structural design of various parts of the UAV, circuit system, flight stability, wireless communication and control system, etc，And in addition to the domestic market，It has patent layout in the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United States, Japan and the European Union。

At the same time, DJI's patent strength is also high, and high-strength patents account for nearly half。In the more than 4,000 patents of DJI company up to now, the general strength patent accounts for 50.6%, high strength patents accounted for 49 percent.4%, of which 150 core patents (scores between 80 and 100), accounting for 3.7%。

U.S. government agencies have accused DJI drones of transmitting data to the Chinese government。On August 9, 2017, a memorandum signed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Los Angeles stated that ICE believed DJI was involved in "providing critical U.S. infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government."。ICE said in the memo that it was not suspicious of drones used by ordinary hobbyists for fun, but of DJI's professional drone equipment for businesses, governments and social organizations。

Dji needs to be wary of becoming the next ZTE or Huawei!

As mentioned above，Dji dominates the global consumer drone market，Occupy a huge market share;On top of，Dji is not resting on its laurels，Its patent research and development continues to advance，And there are many high-quality patents，因此，There are many competitors，But DJI's dominance in the global consumer drone market won't be easy to shake。

At the same time, due to the wide application industry of DJI drones, the detection equipment carried on it is increasingly diverse。Such as remote sensing equipment to monitor crop growth, infrared scanners to check power lines, and cameras and tracking systems。Such speed of development, such dominance, such importance...As a result, a considerable number of voices in the United States have begun to worry that drones may become "dream equipment" used by espionage activities, "just like smartphones."。

Dji's development track or different from ZTE and Huawei, but its influence in the industry with ZTE and Huawei have many similarities, and ZTE and Huawei from the 337 investigation began to the United States BIS issued a lot of restrictions on the grounds of security time is not too long, DJI companies need to plan early!

(Mechanical Think Tank Researcher/Chang Yan)