There is now no credible dispute - the "when" of autonomous vehicles is now. From Austin, Texas, to Tokyo, Japan, these "products of the future" are roaming our streets - some under testing conditions with others providing paid driving services under "live" conditions. Some of these vehicles have logged millions of miles with others quickly gaining the street experience.

In this annual edition of the Autonomous Vehicles White Paper, we summarized the activities and trends in the US, Germany and UK as well as the key legal issues that are perceived to be most affecting this innovative space. Those areas include:

• Regulation
• Product liability
• Cybersecurity/privacy
• Intellectual property
• Corporate/M&A

We also include a focused discussion on a key component of autonomous vehicles - Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) - the ability of the cars to communicate with each other.