Drones and IP: where and why are they taking off?
“When a company wants to start commercialising drone technology, the patent landscape can be thought of as a minefield.”
Drone technology has taken to the skies over the past twenty years in multiple areas—from applications to the military.
It seems like everyone wants their piece of the skies including meal delivery companies, insurance agencies, tech companies, and retailers.
Recently, drones have reshaped modern warfare, as shown in the war in Ukraine. Rather than risking ground troops for reconnaissance, drones are sent in their place. Drones can also be used to identify targets and guide artillery. Ukraine and Russia are leaning on both robust military drones and even commercial drones that ordinary consumers can purchase online.
But the commercial industry is also investing heavily into the technology. The US saw its first drone pizza delivery in 2016.
Now, Amazon’s ‘Prime Air’ is delivering packages in two cities with hopes to expand into more areas. With that, it is no surprise that the drone industry is estimated to reach an impressive $54 billion dollars by 2028.
However, in many industries, drone technology is still developing, and the current technology has its limitations. Compared to more traditional delivery means, drones have a limited range, can carry smaller loads, and are more susceptible to changing weather conditions.
Nonetheless, companies have been more vigorously pursuing IP protection for drone technology since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a clear regulatory framework for drone use in 2015.
Before 2015, the FAA required “special permission” to operate drones, creating a major backlog in drone flying approval.
This article explores how many drone patents are being issued, who is filing for them, recent litigation relating to drone patents, and what’s next for the industry.
Drone patents are through the roof
A search for the words “drone”, “UAV”, or “unmanned aerial vehicle” in the title and abstract of every issued and active patent application in the US reveals a sharp increase in drone patents since 2015. Since then, industry players have filed over 2,500 US patent applications to protect their valuable IP.
From 2015 to 2022, the number of issued patents on drone technology has skyrocketed approximately 658%.
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