By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) May 18 -- China’s drone giant DJI made a clear denial of rumors such as “DJI refuses to pay fines” and “DJI exits the US market” on May 17. It strongly disagrees with a patent infringement case in US and will vigorously pursue all options to defend its legal rights, according to media reports.

A federal district court jury in Waco, Texas, has awarded $279 million in damages to Textron recently, which owns military rotorcraft maker Bell Helicopter. Textron convinced the jury that DJI intentionally infringed on their patent.

After a week-long trial, the jury agreed with Textron Innovations, a subsidiary of Textron, that DJI’s drones infringed on two patents related to drone flight control systems.

DJI asserts that Textron’s patents are not valid and will appeal the decision. Following the verdict, DJI issued a statement saying that its products do not use Textron's technology, adding Textron manufactures military helicopters while it manufactures civilian drones, according to media reports.