Federal Trade Commission Dismisses Antitrust Complaint Against Axon

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has dismissed its administrative enforcement action against Axon Enterprise Inc., (NASDAQ: AXON), the global public safety technology leader, regarding Axon's 2018 acquisition of failing body camera competitor Vievu. This action follows Axon's unanimous U.S. Supreme Court victory in April confirming federal court jurisdiction over its constitutional challenges to the FTC's structure—claims the high Court recognized as "existential."

"The FTC's unilateral dismissal, intended to moot Axon's advancing constitutional claims in the District of Arizona, will result in a global resolution of both cases," said Pam Petersen, Axon's Vice President of Litigation and counsel of record for Axon in both the administrative and federal cases. "We intend to file a stipulation to dismiss our federal claims on Tuesday, ending this 5-year battle to protect our intellectual property and our investors."

"As I said from the beginning, no one should ever face the prospect of a government that can demand to seize your most precious assets without the ability to defend yourself in a fair and impartial court of law," said Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith. "We made it clear that we were prepared to take the merits of our constitutional claims right back to the Supreme Court, and I'm exceedingly proud of our legal team and the inroads we forged that will now allow others to press these critically important due process and separation of powers issues to ultimate resolution. We at Axon remain laser focused on our mission to protect life."

"Competition in the body camera space has always been vigorous and is more so today than ever," said Isaiah Fields, Axon's Chief Legal Officer. "Axon's success is attributable to high-quality products and services, its significant investment in cutting-edge technology, and the company's commitment to its customers and to public safety."