ResponDrone is dedicated to developing an integrated solution for a single pilot to operate a fleet of drones and provide critical information as well as communication services to first responders in emergency situations. As the legal partner in the consortium, Timelex takes care of all legal and ethical aspects of the action, such as the protection of privacy and personal data, the rules on the export of dual-use items, questions on intellectual property rights…

Our role

ResponDrone is an international project co-funded by the EU and Korean government, aimed at developing and validating an integrated solution for first responders to easily operate several drones with multiple synchronized missions to enhance their situation assessment capacity and own protection. This System of Systems will simplify and accelerate situation assessment and sharing, decision making and operations management, while requiring a small crew to operate it. By using the innovative ResponDrone system, emergency response teams will be able to respond more rapidly, effectively and efficiently to an emergency or disaster and therefore save more lives.

In this three-year project, Timelex is in charge of all legal and ethical aspects, acting as a legal adviser to the consortium. More specifically, we will provide legal reflections throughout the project duration with regard to the activities undertaken by the partners and the proposed technology. These reflections will relate amongst others to questions of data protection and privacy, rules on the export of dual-use items, questions on liability and intellectual property rights… Moreover, we will undertake an extensive review of the applicable legislation on the EU and national level to detect gaps, overlaps and contradictions within the current legislation. This will allow us to formulate recommendations and proposals to the lawmaker to render the law more flexible and embrace new technological solutions. We will nevertheless keep a firm eye on the respect of the underlying ethical principles and will ensure a fair balance between the interest of first response in emergency situations and the broader interests of individuals, including privacy and data protection.