Autonomous & Connected Vehicles
With the accelerated pace of vehicles integrating advanced technologies, automotive and mobility startups and stalwarts alike are looking to profit from the next generation of autonomous and connected vehicles. Our team, which has been actively representing parties in the AV space since the early conception and application of connected and AV technology in agriculture and industrial machinery, helps companies navigate the evolving legal, public policy, and regulatory terrain to overcome challenges and achieve business objectives in the connected and AV space.
Early adoption of connected and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS)-enabled cars, micromobility devices (including delivery robots), and the widespread use of e-scooters and e-bikes have paved the way for more mainstream development and adoption of connected and autonomous transportation across the automobile, public transportation, and trucking industries. Grappling with the rapid growth of this burgeoning industry, lawmakers and regulators seek to create rules managing—or tempering—testing and development, including in the areas of intellectual property, cybersecurity, insurance, supply chains, commercial licensing, climate change, financing, consumer litigation, federal funding, and taxes.
Our autonomous and connected vehicles lawyers have a command of the issues our clients confront in these areas and work seamlessly across disciplines and geographies.
How We Help Our Clients Succeed
To guide our clients’ tactical growth in this area, we draw upon our team’s skills and capabilities in numerous specialized disciplines and our experience working with myriad agencies that have roles overseeing connected and autonomous vehicle testing and development—including the US Department of Transportation, Federal Communications Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, and Michigan Department of Transportation.
Our experience includes advising clients in the autonomous and connected vehicle space on the following:
- Licensing for standard essential patents (SEPs), including fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) issues
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Section 1201 compliance and exemptions
- Open-source software and application programming interfaces (APIs)
- Laws and regulations surrounding centralized computers, V2V/V2X communication, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), cameras and video capabilities, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), hardware and software sensors, and battery storage
- Issues arising in the development and manufacturing of batteries, chips, and other components
- Authorization for testing and development
- Safety and technological standards for testing, development, and deployment
- Requirements for and restrictions on testing and development under state and federal laws
- Deployment of autonomous delivery robots
- Advertising and consumer protection issues
- Antitrust considerations in joint ventures and collaborations
- Clean energy solutions to address traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and transportation dead zones
