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ARTICLE · 07 JANUARY 2016

Self-Driving Cars: Legal Issues Ahead

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Companies including Apple, Google, Tesla, Toyota and Uber are all developing and testing self-driving car technology.

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Companies including Apple, Google, Tesla, Toyota and Uber are all developing and testing self-driving car technology. Toyota announced in November that it would spend $1 billion over the next five years on research centers related to autonomous vehicles at both MIT and Stanford. Apple, Google, Tesla and Uber have also committed to substantial research initiatives focusing on the testing and developing of autonomous vehicles. BMW, Audi and Daimler recently purchased Nokia's map business, including intellectual property focused on self-driving cars.

As the technology of self-driving cars has developed, states have adopted laws to support them. California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, Virginia, and Washington D.C. have already legalized autonomous vehicles.

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