Popular drone maker DJI has issued a fervent rejection of a recent U.S. District Court ruling, which upheld the Department of Defence's (recently rebranded to the Department of War) designation of the outfit as a "Chinese Military Company." DJI says that it is not tied to the military, is not subject to government control, and says that court findings support this notion.
Last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a judge upheld the DoD's aforementioned decision to include DJI in its Section 1260H list as a "Chinese military company." DJI was added to the list in 2022 and began legal proceedings against the Federal government last year. Following last week's decision, DJI said it was disappointed the court upheld the ruling.
Now, in a more detailed response, DJI says that the court "made several critical findings confirming DJI’s long-held position that DJI is not controlled by the government and has no ties to the military."
Specifically, DJI notes that in the decision, the court "affirmatively rejected most of DoD’s allegations," and says that it found "no basis" for DoD's claims "that DJI is owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, affiliated with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or affiliated with a military-civil fusion enterprise zone."
Furthermore, DJI states that the two DoD allegations the Court did uphold further clarify "that DJI does not have any military affiliation." Specifically, the company says that its National Enterprise Technology Center is an accolade granted to many companies seen to have "industry-leading technological innovation capabilities", and says major U.S. companies in the food, clothing, and automotive industries carry this label. As such, DJI implies the label doesn't necessarily suggest any military connections.
Secondly, DJI notes the court upheld DoD's claim that its drone technology has "substantial dual-use applications in military and civilian settings" because off-the-shelf commercial tech is liable to be misused in a military context. It says the court didn't find any misuse by the Chinese military and says it has taken "all available measures to prevent its products from being used in combat." DJI also says it has publicly denounced and actively discouraged the use of its products for combat and has never made equipment for the military. Unfortunately, the court ruled that DJI's policies were not relevant in making its decision.
In conclusion, the company says it "remains dedicated to advancing drone technology that benefits society" and that it is considering "avenues available to respond to this ruling."
While DJI's inclusion on the list doesn't constitute a ban or embargo on any of its products, it could cause headaches for the brand moving forward. The U.S. Senate has previously floated the idea of banning its products in the country.
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