The Swedish judiciary has ruled that camera drones are surveillance devices, meaning their pilots will have to get a seldom-issued permit to use them for private flights.
The judgement from the highest court in the land looked at two cases, one against private drones and the other against a camera mounted on a bicycle. The judges found that the bike-mounted camera is fine – because it goes where its owner goes – but that airborne drones were capable of spying things out of sight and therefore must be characterized as surveillance devices.
"The Court further found that the camera can be used for personal monitoring, although it is not the purpose," the ruling reads. "The camera is therefore to be regarded as a surveillance camera."
Private drone operators will now have to apply for a permit stating that the use of the camera drone is for monitoring personal property. Since that excludes the vast majority of drone flight for things like racing, nature photography, and the odd wedding, fliers and the industry association are in full Viking mode over the proposal.
They should not have made the drones angry...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by MostCynical on Thursday October 27 2016, @09:28AM
in Australia, there is a clear set of steps to get a commercial UAV licence.
https://www.rpastraining.com.au/remote-pilot [rpastraining.com.au]
You still need to fly for a company that has a UAV controller licence.
Private pilots can fly - but not everywhere:
If you are not making any commercial gain from your flying, then you may fly your UAV without requiring certification (please note however that “commercial gain” can include flights for advertising purposes or even uploading videos to YouTube – there does not have to be a direct payment involved). The following restrictions apply for uncertified flying:
Below 400 ft (120 m)
In uncontrolled (Class G) airspace
More than 3 nm (5.5 km) from an aerodrome or helipad listed on the VTC
More than 30 m away from other people
Not in a Populous Area
Within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) – this means no FPV unless you have a spotter who can take control at any time
So at least they aren't *completely* outlawed.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1) by robpow on Thursday October 27 2016, @03:39PM
This ruling however is on the filming from a drone, not on flying it.