The “War of Brands” of Manufacturers of Robotic Autonomous (Unmanned) Weapons Systems, Equipped and not Equipped with Artificial Intelligence (Drones), and the Boundaries of the Application of Patents and Know-how

The article touches upon the competition, rivalry, “war” of brands of manufacturers of robotic autonomous (unmanned) equipped and non-equipped with artificial intelligence weapons systems (drones) in the context of the boundaries of application for their protection by patents and know-how. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that many states seek to implement the strategies they have adopted for the development of artificial intelligence, including that in the military sphere, which requires understanding of the approaches of Russia and foreign countries, including those in the development and implementation of such technologies from the perspective of law. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the goal itself and the results of the work. Thus, based on the study of the products and economic indicators of the leaders in the market of artificial intelligence and unmanned vehicles for civil and military purposes, the main motives for expanding the market of unmanned weapons systems, ways to promote the corresponding products in the market of (non -) military technologies are identified. From the point of view of protection by brands under examination of their developments, patent protection and the know-how mechanism are considered in comparison, practical examples of the implementation of such approaches are given. It is revealed that the number of countries using (and wishing to use) UAVs in the military sphere exceeds the number of countries producing them, as a result competition between manufacturers manifests itself in the form of a “war” of brands of these products. The “wars” of non-military and military industry brands have similarities and differences. The lack of differentiation of UAV manufacturers by production volumes and areas of civil or military use leads to the conditionality of determining the leaders in the production of these products. At the same time, the modern industry in practice implements a mixed type of legal protection, when the main development is protected by a patent, and its individual details (technical solutions and methods of their implementation) are contained in the know-how mode according to the laws on trade secrets.

robotic autonomous (unmanned) weapons systems, artificial intelligence, brands of leading (non-)military UAV manufacturers, brands wars, competition, patent protection, know-how, trade secrets, Russia and foreign countries, exhibitions, advertising