IP Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 3:00 p.m., the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee will hold ahearing to examine unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the public policy implications for this new area of technology. Witnesses for Thursday’s hearing are:

• Mr. Brian Wynne, President and CEO, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
• Mr. Chris Calabrese, Vice President for Policy, Center for Democracy & Technology
• Mr. Chris Polychron, 2015 President, National Association of Realtors
• Mr. Tom Karol, General Counsel – Federal, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) issued the statements below on this hearing. Chairman Goodlatte: “Unmanned aerial vehicles are a new and rapidly growing technology that has a wide range of uses from commercial applications to recreational and consumer ones.  Unmanned aerial vehicles can be used to monitor construction projects, forests and parks. They can be used by farmers to survey and manage crops. They can also be used for search and rescue operations. However, with the advent of any new technology comes some challenges. This week the IP subcommittee will hold an educational hearing to examine the policy and legislative implications for this new area of technology and the potential effects on issues including privacy, safety and, intellectual property.” Subcommittee Chairman Issa: “Commercial applications of unmanned aerial vehicles holds great promise. As commercial drone use becomes more affordable and accessible, the marketplace is finding new, innovative ways to apply drone use to both emerging and traditional industry needs. These applications hold the potential to change how we receive Internet service, various goods, and even how we monitor and access remote places of the world or disaster areas. “At the same time, an expanded use of UAV technology requires that the public and private sectors work together to ensure consumers’ safety and privacy are fully protected. “Tomorrow’s hearing will represent a great opportunity to hear more about how we can best balance the groundbreaking use of a promising new technology while mitigating the security concerns that accompany the technology’s spread.” Thursday’s hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at /. Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally-credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.