Reference no: EM133936015

Question

Drone case study

Imagine the following scenario:

You are the President of a MI company that has developed a new technology designed to remove certain CO2 emissions from the air and lessen the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The technology is patent pending and heavily guarded by your employees. If the technology is successful, it will be worth millions.

One day at the office, you are startled by the sound of several gun shots and quickly discover that your security guard has shot down a drone that he had first discovered on the grounds in a concealed spot and then saw flying around your building. After a few weeks of your own investigation as well as that conducted by the police, you understand that the drone had been used around your office on multiple occasions and had been fitted with an unsecured wi-fi hotspot that was accidentally used by your employees which allowed for the unwitting disclosure of sensitive data for days on end. The drone operator has used that proprietary information to launch a competing product line which has caused your company to suffer great financial loss.

You think back to your Business Law class and wonder:

1. Has a trespass has occurred? Since the drone hadn't just landed, but had continuously hovered around your company's property - is that considered a trespass as well or are drones free to use the airspace as they wish?

2. Is there any other cause of action in tort that can be brought against the drone operator?

3. Does your company have a cause of action based in Intellectual Property law against the drone operator for using your technology to create a competing product line? (Do a little research on your own since we don't delve in to IP until next week.)

4. The security guard, who carries his firearm legally, caused total destruction of the drone when it was shot down, does the drone operator have a cause of action against your company for trespass to personal property?

Conduct online research to assist you in preparing an IRAC case study in which you address each of these questions and determine if there are any causes of action to be brought in civil court. You can leave it up to the police to determine if there will be any criminal charges. Look
for statutes and case law that address the various issues. Has this issue been decided already in MI or in another state?