Here’s what you need to know about the potential DJI ban in the US and what it could mean for drones and cameras.
As we’ve been covering for several months now, a DJI drone ban appears to be on its way.
Back in September the Counter CCP Drones Act passed the House and is moving closer to fruition. However, as this effective “DJI Drone Ban” draws closer, there are a lot of questions surrounding what this Counter CCP Drones Act will actually enforce when it comes to Chinese companies like DJI and their myriad of drone, gimbal, and camera offerings.
Let’s take a look at where things currently stand and answer a new question that has crept into the conversation: will the DJI ban apply to cameras too?
According to some of the latest reports in Reuters, the China-based DJI and AUtel Robotics are two companies that could be banned from selling new drones in the United States market under a new military bill that is set to be voted on later this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This 1,800-page bill cites that a national security agency must determine within one year if drones from DJI or Autel Robotics pose an unacceptable national security risk or not. DJI, which manufactures more than half of all the commercial drones in the U.S., has stated that they are at risk of being added to this list.
Now, this is where things get tricky. According to some helpful Reddit sleuthing, one of the committee meetings on the subject seems to indicate that a DJI ban would effectively ban everything from the company from drones, to gimbals, to cameras, and even down to software.
However, again, there appears to be some conflicting information out there as to what the most current version of the Countering CCP Drones Act states, or if another effort like the new military bill will negate or add to any bans.
One area that is important to note is that many of these bills do seem to state that any DJI bans will be on “new” drones or products, meaning that if you already own a DJI drone you may be able to keep using it, or if you’ve already purchased a DJI drone you will still be able to receive it.
To their credit, DJI has been very vocal and informative about how they are fighting against any potential bans as it's obviously in their best interest to keep providing products for such a huge market. They’ve also outlined many ways in which DJI supports can make their voices heard.
Still, there’s a lot that could still shake out for DJI and its ability to sell drones and even cameras in the US going forward. In the same Reuters report, DJI has confirmed that Customs and Border Protection is stopping imports of some DJI drones from entering the United States by citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
DJI has also sued the Defense Department for adding it to a list of companies allegedly working with Beijing's military. So, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see how things end up. Stay tuned though as we’ll do our best to let you know as soon as anything major happens.
