DJI, the most popular consumer drone maker, is suing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over an import ban against new, foreign-made drones, effective December 23, 2025.
On Tuesday, the Shenzhen-headquartered company filed a petition [PDF] With the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking to overturn the FCC’s decision to list DJI on its covered list. The covered list includes communications equipment and services that are “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of United States persons” according to the FCC.
In its petition dated February 20, 2026, DJI said:
The petitioners sought review of the decision on the grounds that the FCC exceeded its statutory authority, failed to follow statutorily required procedures, and violated the Fifth Amendment when it intended to add DJI’s products to the covered list. The petitioners respectfully request their Court to declare, vacate, enjoin and set aside the judgment as illegal and to grant any other relief the Court deems appropriate.
In January, the FCC exempted a limited number of foreign-made drones, including some from Europe, until the end of this year. The FCC also granted exemptions for some foreign-made critical drone components, including those made by Japanese companies Sony and Panasonic and South Korean company Samsung. The FCC has not exempted any drones or drone parts made in China.
In a Dec. 22 statement, the FCC said that “criminals, hostile foreign actors, and terrorists could use [drones] “To present new and serious threats to our homeland.” The FCC said at the time that it had made its decision about the ban after a review by an executive branch interagency body, which it said had “appropriate national security expertise” and was “convened by the White House.”
DJI reportedly requested that the US government audit its devices multiple times before the US issued an import ban.
In a company statement shared with Bloomberg today, DJI said:
Despite repeated attempts to engage with the government, DJI was never given the opportunity to address any concerns or provide information to refute them. These procedural and substantive deficiencies violate the Constitution and federal law.
In a statement to Reuters today, DJI also said the FCC’s decision “recklessly restricts DJI’s business in the US and summarily deprives US customers of access to its latest technology.”
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