US Department of Commerce lifts planned crackdown on Chinese drones, including DJI
Suspicious DJI clones appear on the market after the FCC banned foreign-made drones
Previously, the Pentagon labeled DJI as a ' Chinese Military Company ,' and the courts ruled in DoD's favor after DJI appealed. Separately, DJI avoided being banned by Congress in 2024 when the Senate didn't include the 'Countering CCP Drones Act' in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). At the time, the firm was given a year to get formally reviewed by a relevant state agency, which never happened, automatically putting DJI in the Covered List.
To clarify, DJI was never banned from importing drones (or its cameras) entirely; in fact, the Department of Commerce recently lifted its planned crackdown on Chinese drones, which means the outfit can still import them — the FCC just won't issue authorization for sale. That effectively constitutes an import ban because DJI wouldn't be able to register newly-launched models.
Washington has been wary of Chinese drones since 2016, but started acting aggressively against DJI in 2024. The company has been subjected to intense scrutiny ever since, confronted by multiple government agencies over alleged ties to the CCP. There have been no criminal or civil trials pertaining to its national security threat, only procedural challenges placed in the drone maker's way via regulatory means.
Ultimately, this appeal against the FCC is yet another effort by DJI to fight against what it claims have been baseless assertions from authorities. "[DJI] has long advocated for independent, objective review of its products," the company said, referring to how it welcomes an audit of its business. And thus, another court battle starts as DJI's U.S. operations hang in the balance.
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- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/dji-sues-the-fcc-over-its-prohibition-on-importing-new-foreign-made-drones-into-the-us-chinese-firm-contests-its-placement-on-the-regulators-covered-list#main
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