EN
Autonomous vehicles are equipped with advanced hardware and software components that are protected with different intellectual property rights. In case of an autonomous vehicle accident, investigators can examine the vehicle data, the technical condition of sensors, and the proper functioning of the involved systems. However, detailed inspection of the technology and public hearings examining individual functionalities might interfere with autonomous car producers’ strategies of intellectual property protection. The paper determines whether and under which circumstances such an investigation of autonomous vehicle accidents can interfere with the legitimate interests of car producers in the area of intellectual property protection and what might be the potential solutions to this problem. The paper focuses primarily on Czech and EU law.