Chinese companies Insta360 and DJI are facing off in a fast-escalating U.S. patent dispute over handheld gimbal cameras, with DJI suing over Insta360’s newly launched Luna line and Insta360 responding with countersuits of its own.
DJI has long been known for stabilization and imaging products, while Insta360 built its reputation on 360-degree and action cameras. Now they are moving directly into each other’s territory.
The latest dispute follows an earlier clash between the two companies.
DJI’s two complaints, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, centre on the Luna Pro and Luna Ultra and DJI’s Osmo Pocket family of pocketable stabilized cameras.According to DJI’s complaints, the conflict reflects Insta360’s entry into a product category that DJI claims to have pioneered with the Osmo Pocket, which was first introduced in 2018. DJI alleges that Insta360, whose product lineup had historically focused on 360-degree consumer cameras and small action cameras, entered the integrated handheld gimbal camera category in 2026 with the Luna line.
DJI sued first. In one complaint filed on June 10, 2026, DJI and SZ DJI Osmo Technology asserted four utility patents against Arashi Vision d/b/a Insta360, Arashi Technologie B.V. d/b/a Insta360, Istone Innovation d/b/a Insta360, and Instone Technology (HK) d/b/a Insta360. In a second complaint filed on June 11, 2026, SZ DJI Technology asserted two design patents against the same defendants.
In the design-patent complaint, DJI alleges that Insta360’s Luna Pro and Luna Ultra copy the appearance of DJI’s stabilized camera devices. The complaint points to features including the elongated handheld body, the neck connecting the body to the gimbal arm, the gimbal-mounted camera module and the rotatable display and asserts U.S. Design Patent Nos. D1,110,390 and D1,072,023. DJI says the accused products create the same overall visual impression as its patented designs.
The design complaint alleges that Insta360’s Luna devices are “handheld gimbal cameras with integrated optics – the same product architecture pioneered by the DJI Osmo Pocket” and that Insta360 markets them as competitors to DJI’s Osmo Pocket line.
In the utility-patent complaint, DJI asserts U.S. Patent Nos. 11,009,181, 11,245,855, 11,381,751 and 11,539,893. According to the complaint, those patents cover, among other things, mode switching between follow and locked gimbal modes through a control device, integrated subject tracking and real-time display on the handheld gimbal, using the device’s own image of a target to drive gimbal motion, and a self-contained tracking-and-display system that does not require a separate app.
Insta360 has publicly rejected DJI’s allegations and said it has filed two U.S. countersuits asserting five utility patents covering gimbal stabilization, gimbal directional control, camera smooth stabilization, telemetry overlay and panoramic video stabilization. In a June 12, 2026 press release distributed through PR Newswire, Insta360 said those technologies are incorporated into DJI products including the Osmo Pocket series, Ronin/RS series, Osmo Mobile series and Osmo 360. Engadget also reported on June 12 that Insta360 had countersued DJI over five patents.
“At Insta360, we prefer to let our products do the talking. But we are not afraid of a legal battle when challenged,” Insta360 founder Jingkang Liu said. “We are fully committed to protecting our innovations and will take decisive action to defend our intellectual property from infringement.”
In the same press release, Insta360 said the countersuits were “a direct response to patent lawsuits initiated by DJI on June 10 – the day Insta360 launched its Luna Ultra camera” and said DJI’s legal action seeks “a permanent injunction to ban Luna Ultra from the U.S. market.” Court records show DJI filed its utility-patent complaint on June 10, 2026 and its design-patent complaint the following day.
Insta360 also said it “categorically rejects” DJI’s infringement claims regarding the Luna Ultra camera.
“Luna Ultra is the result of years of independent research and development, not a response to any competitor’s product,” added Liu. “Development began in 2020, with earlier Insta360 products including the ONE R, Link Series webcams and Flow Series gimbals helping shape the technology and design direction behind Luna Ultra. DJI filing lawsuits on the same day we launched Luna Ultra speaks volumes – exposing their fear of competition from a highly competitive product.”
- Cathy Li
