Legal

Lawsuits, bans, privacy fights, and the case law being written around drones.

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Oct 24

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A painted play runway marked 1C crosses artificial turf toward a retired Navy F-4 Phantom II at the Airport Overlook park in Charlotte

FAA

Charlotte Drone Pilot Pleads Guilty to Flying Between Live Runways

A Charlotte man flew a drone for a client video from CLT's Airport Overlook, a park between two active runways. He faces up to a year in federal prison.

Haye KestelooSep 26

A white and yellow Wing delivery drone seen from below against a blue sky, carrying a white Wing-branded package box.

Drone Delivery

Belvedere Puts Drone Delivery on the Books Before Wing Names a City

A 2,126-person Marin town voted 3-2 to regulate where delivery drones land, stage and drop packages. The only fight was over the hours.

Haye KestelooSep 21

Police

Cleveland Police Drone Policy Bans What Ohio's New Law Still Allows

Ohio's HB 251 police drone law starts Oct. 6. Cleveland's Skydio X10 rules already ban facial recognition, protest surveillance and all weapons.

Haye KestelooSep 20

Three-panel sequence of an Amazon Prime Air MK30 drone releasing a package over a suburban Arizona backyard

Drone Delivery

Amazon Drones Drop Packages Where State Law Calls It a Crime

Ten states restrict dropping objects from aircraft more tightly than the FAA. Amazon's MK30 is the only delivery drone that releases packages in flight.

Haye KestelooSep 20

NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center

Drone Incidents

NASA Kennedy Drone Case: Chinese Tourist Pleads Guilty, Faces a Year

Xiaodong He pleaded guilty over a 12-minute drone flight near Kennedy Space Center. Two earlier cases show what sentencing could look like.

Haye KestelooSep 19

A small white consumer camera drone hovering against a clear blue sky

Police

Police Seize Drone in Luton Airport Zone, Make No Arrest

Bedfordshire Police seized a drone inside Luton Airport's restriction zone during a festival, tracked the pilot home, and issued words of advice.

Haye KestelooSep 15

View from a Russian drone camera looking down on a paved road in Kherson, with pedestrians walking along it and a recording overlay showing REC, 1.5x zoom and a running timer

Legal

Yale Expert: Civilian Drone Builders Risk Losing Legal Protection

Two drone experts warn that civilians who build and move attack drones may forfeit noncombatant status, and the texts deciding it date to 2009.

Haye KestelooSep 15

A DJI Mavic 4 Pro hovering between pine trees, the class of consumer drone Beijing residents must give up before November 15

China

Beijing Bans Owning A Drone, Then Offers To Buy Yours Back

Beijing bans drone possession citywide on November 15, voiding the May registration deal and paying owners subsidies to sell at designated buyback sites.

Haye KestelooSep 13

Legal

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