{"id":1330,"date":"2024-11-19T15:02:10","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T13:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2024-11-19T15:10:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T13:10:20","slug":"liability-for-defective-products-new-directive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/liability-for-defective-products-new-directive\/","title":{"rendered":"Liability for defective products: New Directive &#8211; New Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=OJ:L_202402853\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Directive (EU) 2024\/2853<\/a> has been adopted, modernizing the rules on liability for defective products and replacing Directive 85\/374\/EEC.<\/p>\n<p>The key points of Directive (EU) 2024\/2853 are as follows:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Scope of Application<\/h3>\n<p>The Directive covers all products, including software and digital manufacturing files (such as Artificial Intelligence models), that are placed on the market after December 9, 2026.<br \/>\nIt excludes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Free and open-source software developed outside commercial activities.<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear accidents where liability is governed by international conventions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Key Provisions:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Right to Compensation:<\/strong> Affected individuals can claim compensation for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Personal injury or death, including medically recognized mental health injuries.<\/li>\n<li>Material damage, including data destruction not used for professional purposes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Liability:<\/strong> Liability applies to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturers<\/strong> (including those who make substantial modifications to a product outside the manufacturer\u2019s control). If manufacturers are not established in the EU, liability extends to:\n<ul>\n<li>The product or component importer.<\/li>\n<li>The authorized representative.<\/li>\n<li>In their absence within the EU, the fulfillment service provider.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Liability also covers damages caused by defective components, including those integrated or connected (e.g., patches).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time Limits:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A 3-year limitation for submitting claims.<\/li>\n<li>An extension up to 25 years for latent personal injuries caused by the defect but manifested later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Burden of Proof<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Basic Obligations for the Claimant:<\/strong> The claimant must prove:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The existence of damage (e.g., personal injury or property destruction).<\/li>\n<li>The defectiveness of the product.<\/li>\n<li>The causal link between the defective product and the damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Facilitation for the Claimant:<\/strong> The Directive acknowledges that claimants often face difficulties accessing technical information held by manufacturers. To address this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Courts can require the defendant (e.g., the manufacturer) to disclose evidence related to the product\u2019s production or safety.<\/li>\n<li>Disclosure must be proportional and protect confidential information (e.g., trade secrets), in accordance with national and EU law (e.g., Directive (EU) 2016\/943).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Non-compliance by the defendant with such obligations can lead to a presumption of defectiveness in favor of the claimant.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Consumer Protection in Complex Cases:<\/strong> In cases characterized by technical or scientific complexity, courts may apply presumptions to facilitate the claimant:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If it is proven that one product in the same production series is defective, defectiveness may be presumed for the remaining products.<\/li>\n<li>In cases involving cybersecurity or Artificial Intelligence systems, where specialized technical knowledge is required, courts may consider the defendant\u2019s inability to refute technical data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Balance Between Claimant and Defendant:<\/strong> While the Directive facilitates claims for the claimant, the defendant can also request evidence from the claimant if necessary to refute the claim.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Product Safety<\/h3>\n<p>A product is deemed defective if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It does not provide the level of safety a reasonable user would expect.<\/li>\n<li>It is affected by cybersecurity vulnerabilities or insufficient software updates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Software and digital services are considered &#8220;products&#8221; when they impact the safety of a physical product. Liability includes damages caused by software updates.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Consumer Protection<\/h3>\n<p>Member States may establish national compensation schemes for cases where responsible parties are insolvent.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Exceptions and Innovation Protection<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Free and open-source software developed outside commercial contexts is excluded.<\/li>\n<li>Product improvements or new versions do not imply defectiveness of earlier versions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Review Mechanisms<\/h3>\n<p>The European Commission will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Evaluate the Directive starting December 9, 2030, and every five years thereafter.<\/li>\n<li>Create a public database of court decisions related to product liability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Law Office &#8220;Stergios Konstantinou &amp; Associates &#8211; SGK Legal&#8221;<\/strong> provides specialized services in product liability, integrating modern legal requirements for technological products, software, and Artificial Intelligence. Emphasizing consumer protection and business compliance with EU and national laws, we offer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Legal representation in compensation claims.<\/li>\n<li>Consulting on product compliance with safety requirements.<\/li>\n<li>Support in issues related to cybersecurity and software liability.<\/li>\n<li>Guidance on adopting best practices for new technologies and business models.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Our goal is to ensure your legal security while fostering innovation and protecting your rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Directive (EU) 2024\/2853 has been adopted, modernizing the rules on liability for defective products and replacing Directive 85\/374\/EEC. The key points of Directive (EU) 2024\/2853 are as follows: 1. Scope of Application The Directive covers all products, including software and digital manufacturing files (such as Artificial Intelligence models), that are placed on the market [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[63,62,61],"class_list":["post-1330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en","tag-ai-en","tag-compensation","tag-liability-for-defective-products"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1331,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions\/1331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgklegal.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}