Nikon-Viltrox Lawsuit

credits: Rollei

According to reports coming out of China, Nikon just filed a lawsuit against lens maker Viltrox, with the dispute focusing on patent licensing fees related to Nikon’s Z-mount technology. Multiple outlets claim the case has been accepted by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court and reportedly names three defendants, Viltrox itself, its parent company, and a Shanghai-based distributor. A hearing is apparently scheduled for March 2, 2026, although neither Nikon nor Viltrox has publicly commented so far.

The story started circulating around January 17 and has since been picked up by multiple camera news sites, all pointing back to Chinese court and business databases such as Qichacha and Tianyancha. Accessing those databases from outside China is not straightforward, which makes independent verification difficult, so for now the details are based entirely on secondary reporting.

Based on what is being said, the issue seems to centre on Viltrox’s planned Z-mount teleconverter. In 2025, Viltrox published a patent for a 2× teleconverter that would be the first third-party option for Nikon’s mirrorless system, although so far it has only been released for Sony E-mount. Comparisons to Canon’s 2022 action against Viltrox are inevitable, but there is an important difference here, Nikon is reportedly pursuing licensing fees rather than demanding an immediate stop to sales. For photographers already using Viltrox Z-mount lenses, there is no reason to worry at this point, as the reports suggest the dispute is limited to the teleconverter and not existing lenses.