Drone-maker DJI filed a lawsuit Friday against the US Department of Defense over its inclusion on a DoD list of “Chinese military companies.” A DJI

DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer that sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones, asked a U.S. District Judge in Washington to order its removal from the Pentagon list designating it as a "Chinese military company," saying it "is neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military."

In a previously unreported letter seen by Reuters, DJI notified distributors that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in withholding some drones from being imported into the U.S.

DJI claims it operates solely in the commercial sector with no military ties, disputing the Pentagon's designation.

The China-based maker of more than half of all commercial drones in the U.S. went to court to fight its placement on a list of companies said to be working with the Chinese military.

DJI challenges Pentagon's "Chinese Military Company" designation in a landmark lawsuit, raising questions about government overreach.

DJI, the world's largest commercial and consumer drone manufacturer, is taking on the US Department of Defence (DoD) for accusing it of being part of China's military and so putting a legal clamp on its sales in the USA.