Recently, the patent dispute between two tech giants, Huawei and Xiaomi, has been in the spotlight. Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, publicly accused Xiaomi of plagiarizing Huawei's folding screen technology, sparking a heated debate between the two sides.
Yu Chengdong mentioned at the 2023 Pollen Annual Meeting that the innovation of some friends in folding screen technology is actually plagiarizing Huawei's intellectual property rights, and refers to Huawei's "double spinning water drop hinge" technology as Xiaomi's "keel hinge". Yu's remarks clearly point to the technology used in the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 phone.
In response, Xiaomi quickly responded and denied Yu Chengdong's accusations. Xiaomi's official statement said that their "keel hinge" technology was independently developed, which preceded Huawei's "double spin water drop hinge" patent application and was technically different. Xiaomi also mentioned that their technology adopts a design scheme of "3-level rod group, 5 components and 7 low pairs", which is different from Huawei's "2-level rod group, 3 components and 4 low pairs" scheme.
Yu Chengdong then gave a detailed explanation of Huawei's technology on Weibo, emphasizing that Huawei, as a leader in folding machines, has been breaking through key technologies and is using aviation-grade materials for mobile phone designs for the first time, thus making mobile phones lighter and more durable.
The controversy over folding screen technology not only demonstrates the competitive landscape of Chinese technology companies in terms of innovation, but also reveals the importance of intellectual property protection in the field of rapid technological development. This controversy also reflects the industry's continuous exploration and analysis of the boundaries between innovation and imitation.
The focus of this controversy is what is technological innovation and what is technical plagiarism. As can be seen from the statements of Xiaomi and Huawei, both parties have clear patent records and design differences for their respective technologies. Therefore, the controversy may not only be limited to the technical level, but also involves the competition between companies and the competition for market influence.
For the public and industry observers, the event provides an opportunity to observe how Chinese tech companies persist in innovating in the face of fierce market competition while maintaining a level playing field. In the increasingly fierce competition in the technology industry, the protection and respect of intellectual property rights have become particularly important, which is not only related to the commercial interests of the company, but also related to the healthy development of the entire industry and the continuous momentum of technological innovation.