Chinese Drone Company Sues FCC Over Blacklisting
FCC argues it had no other choice because of national security risks.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2026 – Chinese technology company DJI sued the Federal Communications Commission on Friday for banning and blacklisting its products.
In the petition filed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, DJI argued that a FCC December ruling was unlawful on multiple grounds, including failure to follow required administrative procedures, exceeding its statutory authority by going beyond what Congress authorized and violating the Fifth Amendment by depriving DJI of due process.
DJI’s petition asked the Ninth Circuit to rule that the FCC’s decision blacklisting its drones was unlawful and to vacate or halt enforcement of the order. This Feb. 20 petition came after an initial January motion for reconsideration with the FCC, where DJI claimed severe damage to the company’s reputation and market access.
In December 2025, the FCC issued a ruling that added all DJI equipment to the FCC’s Covered List, effectively prohibiting items from being marketed, sold or imported into the U.S. In response to this, DJI filed a motion for reconsideration on Jan. 21, 2026, arguing that the ban violated constitutional rights and “impose[d] significant burdens on DJI’s ability to operate its business, as well as on Americans’ ability to continue to use DJI’s industry-leading products.”
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau December ruling covered all uncrewed aircraft systems and video surveillance equipment produced in a foreign country, citing national security concerns. DJI argued that the FCC banned an entire category of products without individualized findings and opportunity to contest the decision before it was made final.
The FCC argued it has no discretion and was legally required to blacklist foreign-produced uncrewed aircraft systems and its critical components in alignment with the White House orders.
DJI has two entities: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., a drone and camera manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, China, and DJI Service LLC, a U.S.-based entity managing services and user support.
Member discussion