FAA Concedes Merely Posting Drone Video Does Not Violate Federal Regulations

Charles Tobin is a Partner in our Washington D.C. office.

• The FAA has recognized that its inspectors cannot influence the takedown of videos recorded by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones.
• The agency notes that posted video is not sufficient evidence of a violation of the commercial UAV ban.

The Federal Aviation Administration, after more than a year of warning media companies and hobbyists that posting or linking to any footage filmed by drones may violate the law, has finally acknowledged that its inspectors cannot "direct or suggest" the takedown of drone-recorded videos.

Late last week, the FAA issued a directive titled "Aviation-Related Videos or Other Electronic Media on the Internet" to its field offices in the United States and abroad. The directive can be read in its entirety on the FAA website.