Can I still buy DJI products in the U.S.?

Leigh Miller from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0

Can you still buy DJI products in the U.S.? Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce decided to include DJI on a blacklist of foreign companies. Now, the huge community of DJI users in the U.S. has been left unsure of how that will affect them.

You can still purchase and use DJI products, and all of your DJI apps and products will continue to function, says the company.

DRONELIFE reached out to DJI for a statement on the U.S. Dept. of Commerce decision: “DJI is disappointed in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision. Customers in America can continue to buy and use DJI products normally. DJI remains committed to developing the industry’s most innovative products that define our company and benefit the world.”

What Happens Next?

Inclusion on the list is bad publicity in the immediate timeframe, something that DJI has struggled with for the last year as U.S. government agencies questioned the security of Chinese-made technology. The legal impact of the Entity list is as follows:

The EAR (15 CFR parts 730-774) impose additional license requirements on, and limit the availability of most license exceptions for, exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) to listed entities. The license review policy for each listed entity is identified in the “License review policy” column on the Entity List, and the impact on the availability of license exceptions is described in the relevant Federal Register notice adding entities to the Entity List. BIS places entities on the Entity List pursuant to part 744 (Control Policy: End-User and End-Use Based) and part 746 (Embargoes and Other Special Controls) of the EAR.

In short, U.S.-based companies will find it more difficult to export parts to DJI.

Is the Decision Permanent?

Not necessarily. This latest list added 76 new entities to the list, and removed 4. Inclusion on the list requires a majority vote of the End User Review Committee (EAR), which includes representatives from the Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and sometimes the Treasury. Removal from the list requires a unanimous vote of the EAR.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

TWITTER:@spaldingbarker

Subscribe to DroneLife here.