Manufacturer’s Concerns Met With Silence by the Dubai CAA

Prague-based start-up Dronetag has confronted the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority for allegedly selling an identical copy of its remote ID device, the Mini. Despite its legal team reaching out several times, they have not received a response.

“This issue goes far beyond Dronetag,” the company stated. “It raises serious concerns for the entire drone industry, especially for startups and innovators working hard to bring innovative solutions to the market.”

Dronetag is an EU-funded and NATO-supported manufacturer that produces a variety of technologies for drones. Several of these are remote ID devices, which serve as a sort of digital license plate to broadcast the drone's location data to other parties. It plays a similar role to ADS-B with aircraft by providing improvements to airspace awareness and collision avoidance.

One of the remote ID devices that Dronetag offers is the Mini. This is an FAA-approved, pocket-sized device compliant with both direct and network remote ID standards.

The start-up recently noticed a product on the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s website, called the SpotMe, that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Mini. Dronetag claims that the only apparent difference between the pair is one extra LED indicator and poor rendering of the SpotMe. The SpotMe remote ID is also tied to the ‘DCAA Monitoring System’ mobile app, which allegedly contains graphics and product images that are owned by Dronetag.

“The fact that a national aviation authority can promote a copycat product and then ignore multiple attempts at dialogue should alarm everyone who values fair competition, IP protection, and responsible governance in emerging tech sectors,” Dronetag continued.

In response, Dronetag sent the DCAA an official complaint detailing each violation. So far, however, the authority has responded with radio silence. If going public with the issue doesn’t get them any ground, the Dronetag legal team is prepared to make things ugly.

FMI: https://dronetag.com