The surface is the field of patent warfare, the United States and Gree hit the media war?
OFweek smart home network news This should not be the first patent war between Gree and the United States. Last week, Gree filed a patent lawsuit against two types of air conditioners in the United States, claiming 50 million yuan and 10 million yuan respectively. The US side quickly counterattacked and filed a claim for invention patents and two utility model patents against Gree claiming 40 million yuan. At present, the above cases are all accepted by the relevant courts.
As early as 2008, Gree filed a lawsuit against Midea's air-conditioning “sleeping†function that infringed on its patent “Air-conditioner running under a custom curve and its control methodâ€; in 2012, Gree sued Midea for infringing its “removable air-conditioning indoor unit†"Pipe installation baffle" utility model patent; in 2013, Gree also sued the US "grainful harvest" trademark infringement. The two parties had their own victory and defeat. One of the cases also entered the “Top Ten National IP Protection Cases in 2011â€. However, with the acquisition of Toshiba's white-light business, Midea has naturally acquired related patented technologies. In addition, some media quoted Thomson Reuters data, saying that the number of US patents ranked first in the world's household appliances and kitchen appliances, and now faced with Gree's prosecution, he was emboldened to initiate a counterattack against Gree.
From white and white duopoly to capital market Baima shares, the competition between Greemei has long been extended from home appliance stores to all aspects. Judging from the direct reasons, the competition between the two sides has become increasingly intense. According to data from Yikang, in the first four months of this year, Gree and Midea’s air-conditioning retail share was 38.32% and 23.51%; Haier and Hisense Kelon ranked third and fourth were only 9.97% and 7 respectively. .26%. It is not difficult to see that Gree and Midea have formed a duopoly competition in the air-conditioning market. According to the 2016 annual report of the two companies, Gree's air-conditioning business accounted for approximately 79% of the revenue, compared with 41.8% of the United States. If the United States leads Gree in the air-conditioning market, Gree is trying to diversify its development. Faced with tremendous pressure.
In 2016, Midea Group's revenue was 159.842 billion yuan, Gree Electric Appliance's revenue was 110.113 billion yuan, and Gree's revenue was only 68.88% of the United States.
From the perspective of occupying consumers' attention, the party that initiated the patent litigation initiative often means “acquisition of advanced technology†and is therefore more like a public opinion war. For example, Gree always emphasizes his "mastery of core technologies" in advertising. However, a closer look at the core technology is what most consumers may think of. Only Wanda boss Wang Jianlin’s “saving electricity bills by 10 billion yuan a yearâ€. In the peak season of current air conditioner sales, it is also a fairly cost-effective marketing strategy to create a brand-leading image with technology in public opinion. Some media pointed out that judging from the scope of the lawsuits of both parties, it is more of a “utility model patent†and not designing all the products of the two companies. The utility model refers to a new technical solution that is suitable for practical use for the product's shape, structure or combination thereof. Compared with the invention patent, the utility model is limited to a product with a certain shape, and the requirement for creativity is not too high. Therefore, such lawsuits do not directly indicate that one side has a higher level of innovation than the other. More still occupy the high ground in public opinion.
It is worth noting that some media have pointed out that the "patent warfare" between enterprises means that the commercial civilization has taken a small step forward. A new media for home appliances called "come on the ground, come to see the blood, and come to the blood, and come to a real contest between R&D and technical ability. Speak with the facts and use evidence to tell whether it is black and white, at least compared with the most primitive saliva warfare of home appliances. More civilized."
Of course, the fierce competition between the giants is not a good thing for small businesses after the rankings. Patent litigation is often an important means for industry leaders to clean up the market. Some media have noticed that Gree also sued Oaks infringement recently. Although Oaks did not enter the first camp in the air-conditioning industry, it has also maintained steady growth, and continues to maintain the number one industry in the field of air-conditioning, such as the growth rate of domestic sales, the growth rate of export shipments. Gree’s sense of crisis is indeed very strong and all potential competitors will not ignore it.
According to the analysis, "The dispute over patents, especially the dispute over high-quality patents, is very likely to be the new competition means for the next development cycle after the home appliance leader has completed brand building, industrial chain layout, and channel layout." Large enterprises hold large patents in their hands, and they all come to an end with a settlement. Both parties can even cross-license. But small, unpatented companies have to struggle to choose between high-priced buying authorizations and infringements. Not to mention that only large companies can afford price wars. Appliance analyst Liu Buchen believes that the patent warfare is similar to Samsung's Huawei. During the lawsuit, the popularity of the two companies was unintentionally raised, giving both parties the opportunity to demonstrate their technical strength. Other brands were marginalized.
Sound Bar,Rgb Light Sound Bar,Gaming Sound Bar,Hifi Soundbar Speaker,Echo Wall
Comcn Electronics Limited , https://www.comencnspeaker.com