Most bioroids were acquired by space corporations who required rapidly expanded parahuman workforces for offworld industrial colonies and stations. In 2095, a scandal at a European Union space factory in Lagrange 4 exposed bioroid abuse. The European Union investigated, and later banned bioroid manufacture as 'indentured labor'. Others claimed this action reflected E.U. weakness in biotechnology and protected their cyberdoll industry from competition.
In response to criticism, and to protect their market share elsewhere, the 'big two' bioroid producers, Xiao Chu and Biotech Euphrates, adopted tougher industry standards. Customers were vetted and certain designs, such as pleasure bioroids, were deleted (except as decereberate bioshells), while others, such as combat models, were restricted to certain government customers. For example, it is presently impossible for private citizens to acquire a Biotech Euphrates “high-lethality AS-2E Felicia-model transgenic combat bioroid with special ops warfare training.' Instead, a customer would have to settle for an 'athletic Felicia II transgenic bioroid, with disciplined, team-oriented outdoor survival, paramedic, electronics operation, and self-defense skills.'
Bioroids are not bought and sold within the European Union. If someone wants one, they will pay a bioroid manufacturer to create and educate the bioroid, but the bioroid itself (as opposed to its gene sequences) is never the property of the company. A person, corporate, or government entity that pays for the creation and education of a bioroid is its legal guardian until the bioroid reaches maturity. As the bioroid is functional after a year or two, this gives them about 14 years of guardianship. Labor laws generally prevent bioroids from being sent out to work for someone else, but it's legal for the bioroid to work for his guardian's business, just as minors can work on family farms. Most military forces allow bioroid soldiers if they have legal permission from the bioroid's guardian.
Pan-sapients rights activists still denounce the bioroid industry as legalized slavery, and recently the European Parliament has said the same thing.
See also Bioroid Trafficking.