Taking a break from reporting on COVID-19 legal developments, we
turn for a moment to what is happening now on export control of
autonomous vehicle technology.
The autonomous vehicle R&D sector is booming, largely in the
last three years. Companies are investing in sensor technology and
machine learning, and creating pilot programs to test self-driving
cars both for individuals and ride-sharing purposes.
The Current Landscape
Export controls have been lagging behind the technology,
however. Large numbers of cross-border collaboration programs have
been underway, with little restriction under current export
controls.
In the case of technology, an export includes not only sending
technical data abroad but also sharing it, visually or orally, with
a foreign person in the United States (a "deemed
export").
