On June 21, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration finally released its final rule regulating the usage of unmanned small aircraft, a.k.a. drones. Most importantly, the rules fully permit the use of drones for commercial purposes such as aerial photography. However, the rules do impose significant restrictions on drone use.
On January 6, 2016, a lawsuit was filed in Kentucky that has wide-ranging implications for the future of commercial drones in the United States. The lawsuit involves William H. Merideth, who calls himself the “Drone Slayer”, who shot down a $1,500 drone flying over his property in July 2015.
This holiday season, the restaurant chain TGI Friday’s launched their “Mobile Mistletoe” initiative. The initiative involved unmanned drones flying around TGI Friday’s restaurants with sprigs of mistletoe attached. Unfortunately, shortly after the launch, the drone collided with a Brooklyn Daily photographer, causing injuries.
