Legal
Explore the legal aspects of drone technology. Stay informed on regulations, laws, and legal cases involving drones.
Automatic drone box to support fire brigade and water management operations
The fire brigade and Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, will soon be experimenting for the first time with an automatically operating drone box system. For example, the early detection of forest fires will be…
Drone educators discouraged by “Irish route” to free EU drone certificate
From December 31, everyone who will fly a drone over 250 grams must have a European drone certificate. In the Netherlands, you cannot go anywhere for the required training. But it is already possible to obtain the A1 / A3…
FAA fines Philadelphia drone pilot and Youtuber $184,500
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has fined drone pilot Mikey from Philadelphia, better known as Youtube comedian PhillydroneLife, for $184,500 $182,004 in proposed civil penalties for the drone videos he live-streamed to Youtube. Yes, you read that correctly, $182,004 in…
Skydio over-sells, under-delivers and couldn’t care less about FAA rules
In response to my previous article in which I said Part 107 pilots beware, Skydio is NOT your friend, Skydio’s Chief Marketing Officer, Alberto Farronato, argues that Autonomy is the new opportunity for Part 107 drone operators. Unfortunately, nothing could…
Using DJI Phantom drones to catch sharks off the Long Island coast
An article from the NY Times explains how local fishermen catch sharks with the use of DJI Phantom drones of the coast of Long Island, NY. Warmer, cleaner water in combination with reduced industrial fishing has brought back the bunker…
Trump ban on Chinese-made drone parts increases risk wildfires
According to an internal memo, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision not to buy more drones with Chinese parts has made it more difficult to fight wildfires. The memo exposes one consequence of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Chinese…
DJI vs Autel patent war – No ban on DJI drones in the US
Another victory for DJI in the patent war with Autel Robotics, as the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decided not to enforce a ban on DJI drones.
Pentagon investigates alleged drone sighting near Air Force One
Yesterday we reported on the near-miss between President Trump’s airplane and a small drone. Today, we can confirm that the Pentagon has started an investigation into the alleged drone sighting near Air Force One.
Case dismissed. George Steinmetz gets his DJI Mavic 2 Pro back!
Back in April, as he was taking aerial photos of the mass burials on Hart Island, award-winning National Geographic and New York Times photographer, George Steinmetz had his DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone confiscated by the New York Police Department…
Trade judge’s findings over DJI vs Autel patent dispute to be reviewed again
According to a notice on the U.S. International Trade Commission website, the agency will review the trade judge’s findings from March over the obstacle avoidance (’174 patent), the propeller locking mechanism (’184 patent) and the battery clamp (’013 patent) dispute…
Booz Allen Hamilton finds no unauthorized data transfer from DJI drones
A study from Booz Allen Hamilton in partnership with PrecisionHawk concludes there has not been any unauthorized data transfer from DJI drones, that were previously used by the US government, to the Chinese drone maker or government. You can download…
DJI’s ‘Game of Drones’ culture threatens to break up the drone maker
Against a background of growing distrust of China in the United States, DJI is under significant pressure from the Federal Government that questions the company’s intentions and alleges that its drones spy for the Chinese government. The intensifying focus on…