- The FCC is chasing suspected DJI front companies
- Multiple rebranded DJI-like devices are on sale in the US
- New DJI products were banned in the US last year
Since last December, new DJI devices have been banned in the US, because the drone and camera maker is on the Covered List — a list of foreign manufacturers deemed to fall short of the security and safety standards put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
However, the FCC thinks that DJI is sneaking products into the United States through front companies with different branding, and it’s now taking action: as The Verge reports, eight of these companies have now been hit by $25,000 fines, with further investigations from the authorities pending.
The companies in question are Cogito Tech, Fikaxo Technology, Lyno Dynamics, Skyhigh, Spatial Hover, SZ Knowact Robot, WaveGo Tech, and Xtra Technology. You can check out the range of Cogito Tech drones on its website here, and decide for yourself how much they do or don’t resemble DJI’s offerings.
Xtra Technology also has a website showing off its vlogging cameras: as noted by The Verge, the company is promoting an Xtra Muse 2 Pro camera with the tagline “from Pocket to Pro”, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P.
Cracking down
These companies have so far failed to respond to questions from the FCC, and it seems the regulatory body is now ramping up its efforts to get some answers. Some of the test labs that these devices are passing through are being targeted as well.
The Verge also reports that gadgets previously approved for sale before the ban took effect have now disappeared from the FCC website — gadgets including the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro. However, there’s no indication that DJI products that have already been sold in the US are going to stop working or be recalled.
In order for any electronic device using radio frequencies to be sold in the US, from phones to drones, it has to be approved by the FCC — which is why we get so many detailed hardware leaks from FCC filings. Any company on the Covered List isn’t going to get that approval, essentially meaning their products are banned.
While DJI has been vocal in calling its ban unfair, it hasn’t commented on the claims around these alleged front companies so far — and it appears that the companies themselves aren’t being at all communicative either. We’ve reached out to DJI for comment on the report, and will update this story if we hear back.
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