Benjamin von Bodungen

Benjamin von Bodungen is a partner in Bird & Bird's Frankfurt office. As a member of the firm's automotive sector group, Benjamin advises clients on the regulatory and liability framework and pitfalls of manufacturing and operating connected, automated and autonomous vehicles for the transportation of people and goods. Von Bodungen is also regularly tasked with the design and drafting of complex logistics agreements in domestic and cross-border scenarios. Before joining Bird & Bird, von Bodungen worked in the Frankfurt office of another international law firm and as an in-house lawyer at KfW Bankengruppe, dealing with asset-based financing of aircraft and rolling stock.

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Presentation

Germany's autonomous driving law – technical challenges and liability risks

Germany has recently adopted one of the most innovative legal frameworks on self-driving vehicles in the world. Yet the new law also requires compliance with extensive requirements regarding vehicle design that manufacturers, suppliers and the engineering community must be aware of. The presentation will place particular emphasis on these technical challenges. For instance, autonomous vehicles must be equipped with systems for mastering dilemma situations that prioritize the interests at stake in the event of an unavoidable accident. Manufacturers also have to ensure safety against cyberattacks throughout the entire vehicle lifecycle. Non-compliance bears significant risks of civil or even criminal liability.

The audience will learn:

• The key elements and responsible parties under the new German law on autonomous driving
• The technical challenges that must be overcome when designing and marketing autonomous vehicles
• How to effectively mitigate liability risks when bringing autonomous vehicles to the road