DJI vs Autel patent war: No ban on drones in the U.S.
By Gong Zhe
Screenshot from Google Patent

Screenshot from Google Patent

DJI, the largest drone maker in the world, have seemingly striven another victory in the patent war with Autel Robotics, as the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decided not to enforce a ban on DJI drones.

ITC made the decision on Thursday in a "final determination" document saying enforcement of the ban will be suspended.

Screenshot from ITC's final determination notice

Screenshot from ITC's final determination notice

The patent war between DJI and Autel has been going on since 2018, when Autel asked the ITC to investigate if DJI have infringed their patents.

The main patent in question is US9260184B2, named "compact unmanned rotary aircraft." It described a lock mechanism between the rotor and its blade.

According to the lawyers representing DJI, the patent is actually "unpatentable" as the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB) found in March 2020.

The Shenzhen-based drone maker also tried to change its drone design to avoid infringement but the ITC said it's not enough.

Yet ITC suspended the ban because of the findings by PTAB.

CGTN Digital reached out to DJI, but the company told us they currently have no comments to make related to this story.

(CGTN's Liu Jing also contributed to the story.)