US: Axon sues the FTC amid antitrust probe

Axon Enterprise on Friday sued the US Federal Trade Commission in a bid to have potential antitrust litigation heard in a federal district court and not in an internal FTC process, which it alleges is biased toward regulators.

Axon, the manufacturer of Taser stun guns and body camera systems for police departments, has been the target of FTC scrutiny since 2018, when the regulator requested information from the Arizona-based company about its acquisition of Vievu. 

Vievu was a smaller player in the market for body cameras and online storage and management of the footage they generate. 

In the complaint filed on Friday in U.S. district court in Arizona, Axon said it complied with regulators’ requests for 18 months at a cost of $1.5 million in legal fees. 

Last month, Axon alleges, FTC officials told the company it would have to unwind its Vievu acquisition by divesting the assets and offering patent licenses to any potential acquirer. 

Axon alleged that in a December 2019 face-to-face meeting with its attorney, the FTC threatened to start an internal administrative law proceeding this month to unwind the Vievu deal if Axon would not agree to the settlement.