Many things have changed since 1985, in particular in the world of technology.  The Commission’s 10 page report and evaluation of 7 May 2018 questions whether the Product Liability Directive of 1985 (“the Directive”) is still fit for purpose.  The Directive was implemented to protect consumer safety and imposes strict liability (i.e. no requirement for the injured party to prove fault) on a producer of defective products for personal injury or damage to property caused by the defect.

The Commission’s Report

Although, historically, the Commission has reported on the implementation of the Directive to the Council and Parliament every 5 years, this is the first time that the report has been accompanied by an evaluation of the relevance of the Directive in the EU today, owing to widespread concerns regarding the invention and everyday use of “products” that were not even imagined back in 1985.  The report recognises the urgent need to consider whether the Directive, in its current form, adequately deals with the challenges posed by “digitisation, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity” now and in the future, and, if it does not, what changes would be required to address the shortcomings.Continue Reading Is the EU Product Liability Directive still fit for purpose?

What does “defect” mean?

Rarely has the Court of Appeal been required to examine the meaning of “defect” within Section 3(1) of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (the Act). In Baker v KTM Sportmotorcycle UK Ltd and another [2017] EWCA Civ 378, the Claimant, a maxillofacial surgeon, had suffered severe personal injuries when the front brakes of the second-hand motorbike he was riding seized without warning and he was thrown off. The motorbike had been well-maintained, had low mileage and was only two years old. The Claimant sued the motorbike manufacturers (KTM) under the Act and in negligence, and won (under the Act) at first instance. KTM appealed, on the basis that the Recorder was wrong to conclude that the corrosion which led to the brakes failing was a “defect” within section 3 of the Act. The Appeal was unsuccessful—the Court of Appeal found that the brakes failed because they were defective. The Court explained that the Claimant did not have to prove the existence of a specific design or manufacturing defect for there to be a finding of defect within the meaning of section 3, nor did he have to show how the defect was caused. The Claimant merely had to show that a defect existed at the relevant time and that this caused the accident. The Court found on the expert evidence that there must have been a defect in the brakes of this particular motorbike, which Hamblen LJ described as “a susceptibility for galvanic corrosion to develop in the front brake system when it should not have done i.e. after limited and normal use and notwithstanding proper servicing, cleaning and maintenance”. This susceptibility was not present in other bikes of the same type, and therefore the Court was entitled to infer that these particular brakes were defective, and the Claimant had proved his case.Continue Reading Meaning of defect? Court of Appeal clarifies s3 Consumer Protection Act 1987