XIAOMI-W calls out Yu Chengdong: "The accusation of plagiarism on the 'Dragonbone Pivot' is unfounded, let's not tarnish our peers."
Xiaomi has released a clarification statement denying the allegations made by Huawei's Yu Chengdong that they copied the "Dual Rotating Water Drop Hinge." Xiaomi claims that their self-developed "Dragon Bone Pivot" is completely different from it. Xiaomi points out that the "Dragon Bone Pivot" was patented in 2020 and authorized in 2021, while Yu Chengdong's patent application for the "Dual Rotating Water Drop Hinge" came later. Xiaomi urges Yu Chengdong to adhere to scientific and rigorous principles and not to mislead the public. This war of words was sparked by Yu Chengdong's remarks on intellectual property rights, leading industry insiders to speculate that his comments were likely directed at Xiaomi.
XIAOMI-W and Huawei Engage in a War of Words?
On December 12th, XIAOMI-W's spokesperson officially announced on Weibo, accusing Huawei's Yu Chengdong of making false statements about the company's "dragon bone hinge" technology, which is completely inconsistent with the facts. We urge Mr. Yu Chengdong to adhere to the basic principles of "science and rigor" and refrain from smearing competitors and misleading the public.
The incident started at the recent 2023 Pollen Annual Conference, where Huawei's CEO of the Consumer Business Group, Yu Chengdong, made a statement about intellectual property. Yu Chengdong said, "When other companies copy us, they claim that they don't respect our (Huawei's) intellectual property rights. They just take it and give it a random name as their own. The double-rotating waterdrop hinge is directly transformed into a dragon bone hinge, but dragon bone does not exist."
Although Yu Chengdong did not mention any specific company in his statement, industry insiders speculate that his remarks were likely directed at XIAOMI-W. The "dragon bone hinge" mentioned by Yu Chengdong happens to be similar to the "XIAOMI-W dragon bone hinge" used in the XIAOMI-W MIX Fold 3 phone.
According to XIAOMI-W's Chairman Lei Jun's previous introduction, the XIAOMI-W dragon bone hinge consists of 198 parts, 14 movable joints, and a 3-level linkage structure, which not only achieves a slim design but also provides better screen protection. Lei Jun even referred to the XIAOMI-W dragon bone hinge as one of the achievements of XIAOMI-W's deep cultivation of core technology.
In the statement released today, XIAOMI-W pointed out that the "dragon bone hinge" is a brand-new, self-developed folding hinge by XIAOMI-W Group, which is the industry's first 3-level linkage structure. Both in terms of design concept and mechanical structure, XIAOMI-W's self-developed "dragon bone hinge" is completely different from Yu Chengdong's so-called "double-rotating waterdrop hinge."
XIAOMI-W stated that they applied for a patent for the self-developed "dragon bone hinge" on September 18, 2020, and obtained patent authorization on January 5, 2021. It was first applied on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 in August 2023. On the other hand, Yu Chengdong's so-called "double-rotating waterdrop hinge" was applied for a patent on December 13, 2019, and was only made public on June 18, 2021. It is clear that Mr. Yu Chengdong's statements are completely inconsistent with the facts.
Furthermore, XIAOMI-W stated that according to publicly available information, there is no confirmation of the authorization for the three-level linkage patent application of Yu Chengdong's company, which has not been commercialized, since it was made public on May 5, 2023, after being filed on October 29, 2021. XIAOMI-W finally stated that Yu Chengdong should follow the basic principles of "science and rigor" and refrain from smearing peers and misleading the public.
Regarding the statement from XIAOMI-W, Huawei and Yu Chengdong have not yet responded.