Scottsdale body camera maker Axon sues federal agency over probe
Jan 7, 2020, 11:09 AM
(Getty Images/David McNew)
(Getty Images/David McNew)
PHOENIX – Scottsdale-based body-camera maker Axon has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission citing “unconstitutional government overreach” regarding an investigation.
In an online post last week, Axon CEO Rick Smith said that the commission was robbing the technology company of its day in court.
The root of the agency’s probe is Axon’s purchase of a smaller competitor, VieVu, in 2018. Both companies produce body cameras for law enforcement and Tasers for authorities and civilians.
The commission said the buyout cut down on competition “in an already concentrated market.”
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The FTC “issues an administrative complaint when it has reason to believe that the law has been or is being violated and when a proceeding appears to be in the public interest,” it explained in a recent press release.
Smith also said the FTC demanded the company “provide access to all of our resources, including intellectual property and customer relationships we’ve built over 10 years.”
We’re demanding our day in a fair court against the FTC. Read about the case and why we took this step here: https://t.co/EpgzXFsMxX
— Axon (@axon_us) January 4, 2020
The five-member panel voted unanimously to issue the administrative complaint. An administrative trial was scheduled to begin May 19, according to the release.
Axon has supplied Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe police with body cameras.
