Formula 1 teams are always looking for their next rule-bending innovation and Brabham took that philosophy to the extreme in their 1978 car. Sporting a massive fan on the rear designed to syphon the car into the ground for grip, the BT46B was quickly banned for safety reasons. As far as banned F1 innovations go, it’s also worth shouting out the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34.

Back in the days of physical media, RealDVD gave users an easy way to copy DVDs. Unfortunately the technology was banned over copyright concerns.

When metal bats first entered the game of baseball it wasn’t long before college players started hitting home runs even major leaguers couldn’t fathom. College baseball eventually began regulating the bats, both for safety and stat purposes, and those regulations grow stricter all the time. RealDVD

Whenever a new electric scooter gets introduced in a major city it takes over like wildfire. These scooters travelling at high speeds ridden by inexperienced riders often cause serious accidents. San Francisco briefly banned them in 2018 and New York recently placed heavy regulations on Revel scooters.

While it is not illegal to own the Flipper Zero, Amazon no longer sells them thanks to the device's numerous illegal applications.

When the NBA banned the original Air Jordan 1, they did so for “uniform conformity” purposes. (It was just too cool.) However, the Athletic Proportion Labs brand is also banned for being too springy.

VPN’s are legal in most places but they throw a serious wrench into government censorship. As a result they are banned outright in North Korea, Oman, Iraq, and more, while other countries like China used specific approved versions.

Golf technology is progressing all the time. For a bit, that included the Big Bertha driver. But thanks to some ridiculous distances it is now banned in all USGA-sanctioned events.

You probably remember when Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in under two hours. What you don’t know is that the fancy Nike running shoes he used are now banned from competition for being too springy.

Most innovations here are outside tools to help complete a task. But what if you yourself were stronger? Emotional regulation and longevity aside, steroids took over athletics in the early 2000s, specifically baseball, and everything was better for it. (In the short term.)

Like VPNs, social media is a little too good at keeping people informed and connected. As a result, numerous countries limit or control social media to different degrees. Or they just get jealous and ban another country’s superior algorithm in the name of “security.”