DJI Lawsuit Challenging FCC Covered List Designation and US Import Restrictions
DJI filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to place DJI on the agency’s national-security Covered List, a move that effectively blocks regulatory approval for importing and selling new DJI drones and certain parts in the US. DJI argues the FCC’s action suffered from procedural and substantive defects, exceeded statutory authority, and—per the petition—also violated the Fifth Amendment, asserting the FCC did not identify a specific threat tied to DJI or its products and did not provide a meaningful opportunity to address the government’s concerns.
The FCC has framed the restrictions as a national-security measure, warning that criminals, hostile foreign actors, and terrorists could use drones to threaten US safety, and stating its decision followed an Executive Branch interagency review convened by the White House. Reporting also notes the FCC has issued limited exemptions for some non-Chinese drones and components (including certain parts from Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung) while not exempting drones or parts made in China; separate context includes prior US government actions scrutinizing DJI, including a Pentagon designation as a “Chinese Military Company” that DJI previously challenged in court.
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