Profoto is preparing to file a patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese lighting company Godox in order to stop the Godox V1 from hitting the market, according to Swedish photo publication Fotosidan.
The complaint targets the recently announced Godox V1, which Profoto alleges is in violation of multiple patents it filed for its own A1 light. The Profoto A1 round head flash was launched in September 2017, a year before Godox introduced their V1 flash at Photokina 2018.
Profoto A1 costs $995 USD. Pricing for the Godox V1 hasn’t been announced, but it’s expected to be be priced significantly cheaper. Godox V1 appears to feature a number of similarities with the A1, including the round head design, Fresnel lens, magnetic modifier mount and LED modeling light.
Profoto CEO Anders Hedebark, told Fotosidan, that his company spoke with Godox about its V1 flash at Photokina 2018, and has continued to reach out to Godox in the months since. Profoto has filed seven patents related to its A1, which was in development for four years.
‘We spend a lot of time and money on development and will protect our investments,’ Hedebark said, also warning that manufacturers and other companies may face lawsuits if they market the Godox V1. ‘It feels like we have an obligation to act.’
Source: Fotosidan, via: PetaPixel, DPReview
17 thoughts on “Profoto Prepares A1 Flash Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Godox”
Every Speedlight from different manufacturers look alike and work alike. What’s the difference here?
It certainly appears to be a copy. Profoto has seven patents on their A1 flash.
Yongnuo copied canon flash & lenses, did canon sue yongnuo? If profoto is confidence with their product there’s no need for filing any patent infringement suit, because every brand has their own market. This will further shows that godox quality can competes profoto.
Godox quality is not even close to Profoto. The suit is about patent infringement – not quality control.
Oh please Brian. You are KILLING your credibility. Godox are extremely reliable and way more affordable than the ridiculously over priced Profotos.
HEck the AD600 Pro has better consistency than the Profoto counterpart at a lower price.
Sad to see that you let your personal interests affect your judgement. People is NOT blind so you keep this up and you will lose respect from anyone that followed you before.
Now ask yourself..is it worth it???
What testing method did you use to determine that Godox AD600 Pro “has better consistency” than Profoto B1X?
It’s not up to me to determine the validity of patent infringement claims. It’s up to the courts. I simply reported news of the pending lawsuit.
As someone who used Profoto B1 and D1, Elinchroms and Godox (Flashpoint), they all have very similar build quality and they were all equally reliable, with better features and price from Godox. In fact, I had more out of the box issues with Profoto than any of them. Profoto only looks and marketed sexier.
I think the elitist mentality exhibited by many Profoto users and from Profoto marketing machine is what’s putting people off from Profoto . The implied message has become that gear makes you a world class photographer, and not the other way around.
I’m all for protecting innovation but I can’t find anything innovative about the A1. All the things mentioned we’re invented before even by Godoz themselves. I’d appreciate it if someone named one. Let alone that they’re not patented yet. Anyway, this whole thing screams desperation.
The key innovation that I’ve seen is A1’s fresnel lens which results in really beautiful light that you don’t normally see from a speed light. I don’t know if that’s the issue or something else.
Fresnel lenses are used in nearly all modern flashes! If anything, Profoto is using it for the first time in a speedlight lol
Not like the one A1 uses. Unless you’ve seen it you may not understand.
The only similarity i see is that the head is round. Seems pretty frivolous to me. Are they going to go after all flashes using a rectangle head too?
Profoto has seven patents for A1. Violations may include “round head design, Fresnel lens, magnetic modifier mount, and LED modeling lights.”
“round head design, Fresnel lens, magnetic modifier mount, and LED modeling lights.” Aren’t these all features on various flash units and modifiers?
Profoto has seven patents on A1. They must feel they have a case to prove Godox violated at least one.
Brian, might your close professional relationship with Profoto be influencing your judgement on this one perhaps?
I’m not paid to use Profoto flashes or to post news about them. I post news about ALL brands of flash released for Sony cameras including Profoto and Godox/Flashpoint.
The only thing influencing my judgement is my belief in Creator’s Rights.
If you believe in copyright you should also respect patents. The main argument I’m reading in the comments is “so what, Profoto charges too much”. Should someone simply be able to rip-off one of your photographs if they don’t like what you would charge them to license it legally?
Godox make some great disposable stuff, wouldn’t rely on them though but handy to take in places you don’t want to take your Elincrom Ranger gear.