EU relaxes rules on spare Truck parts
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007A proposed liberalisation of European Union (EU) design rights legislation, allowing makers of Truck parts to sell spares of parts made by vehicle manufacturers across the EU, has been accepted by the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee. A committee communiqué said: “The directive will allow suppliers to produce motor vehicle components which are identical to the original parts without infringing design protection.”
Only where parts change the outside appearance of vehicles would design rights protection continue. The committee wants a five-year transitional period before this liberalisation kicks in.
Britain already allows independently made spare parts to be used for repairs, but this is much harder in Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, which still have design protection for spare parts. Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain currently allow independent spare parts manufacture and sale, while Greece protects designs for five years.
