Chinese drone maker DJI has filed a lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, challenging a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision that blocks imports of all its new drone models and critical components. The company, which holds more than half of the US commercial drone market, confirmed the filing on Wednesday.
The FCC enacted the ban in December 2024. It placed DJI and fellow Chinese drone maker Autel on its “Covered List,” which is a registry of telecommunications equipment seen as a risk to national security.
This change means DJI and Autel can no longer get FCC approval to sell new drone models or important parts in the US. However, they can still sell existing models. Congress had also ordered both companies added to the banned list within one year unless a security review determined otherwise.
In its four-page court petition, DJI argues that the FCC “exceeded its statutory authority, failed to observe statutorily required procedures, and violated the Fifth Amendment” in adding its products to the Covered List.
The company further stated that the FCC provided no substantive evidence that its products pose a genuine national security threat, calling the decision careless and harmful to US customers. DJI is represented by Travis LeBlanc, a former FCC enforcement bureau chief, and former US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar.
The ban has drawn strong backlash from the nearly half a million certified American commercial drone pilots, many of whom depend on DJI products for their livelihoods.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, pilots have been hoarding DJI drones and spare parts, writing to Congressional representatives and the White House, and warning that no viable Western alternative currently exists.
In January, the FCC granted import exemptions for some foreign-made drone models through the end of 2026, but Chinese drones were excluded from that relief.
The FCC has not publicly responded to DJI’s lawsuit. Chinese surveillance equipment maker Hikvision filed a similar legal challenge in December, contesting the FCC’s broader authority to block device approvals under the Covered List policy.
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