Source: The Verge

 

An Administrative Law Judge of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has determined that the Chinese company Insta360 violated federal law by importing and selling products in the country that infringe on GoPro’s intellectual property, according to a statement issued by GoPro last Friday. The company, valued at $129 million and with annual revenues of $780 million, has shown signs of being undervalued, according to InvestingPro’s Fair Value analysis.

The initial determination found that Insta360 infringed on a patent covering the design of GoPro’s HERO camera (U.S. Patent D789,435), as well as patent claims related to GoPro’s HyperSmooth video stabilization technology (U.S. Patents 10,574,894 and 10,958,840). The ITC is expected to issue its final determination on all of GoPro’s infringement claims against Insta360 by November 10, 2025.

For his part, Nicholas Woodman, founder and CEO of GoPro, stated in the release that “GoPro welcomes fair competition as it drives us to innovate, but we will litigate to protect our intellectual property when we believe it is being infringed.” GoPro highlighted that the litigation process has strengthened its intellectual property portfolio, which currently includes more than 1,500 U.S. patents.

Insta360 responded to the ITC determination by indicating that, although the judge found a potential infringement on two patents, the utility patent claims made by GoPro were rejected. According to a statement from Insta360, “the judge determined that the utility patents related to stabilization, horizon leveling, distortion, and aspect ratio conversion are invalid, not infringed, or both.” Insta360 also claimed that it has made design updates to address the recognized infringement.

Finally, the ITC initiated the investigation at the request of GoPro, which sought exclusion and cease-and-desist orders prohibiting the importation of Insta360 products in the U.S. While the initial determination does not prevent Insta360 from continuing to import and sell its cameras, the situation raises questions about competition in the action camera market, where Insta360 has managed to offer a wider range of products compared to GoPro.