The Auto Care Association, along with six other aftermarket trade groups, sent a letter to the new chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on June 30 expressing appreciation to the FTC for findings and conclusions of the recently released report entitled “Nixing the Fix: An FTC Report to Congress on Repair Restrictions.” The report […]
Legislation to Limit Length of Auto Design Patents Introduced in U.S. House of Representative
Bipartisan legislation seeks to reduce collision repair costs by limiting the length of time vehicle manufacturer exterior parts would be protected from competition. Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet in the House Judiciary Committee, announced June 1 the introduction of bipartisan legislation to limit […]
FTC Report to Congress Examines Anti-Competitive Repair Restrictions
Report recommends ways to expand consumers’ repair options, including more enforcement, and use of voluntary agreements between manufacturers and independent repairers. In a new report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission identifies numerous types of repair restrictions across industries such as mobile phones and automobiles. Concerns raised in the report and by proponents of an […]
CAR Coalition/YouGov Survey Says 79% Of Car Owners Say There Should Be a Law Prohibiting Vehicle Manufacturers from Blocking Vehicle Data Access
The CAR Coalition, a group of independent automotive parts, management and repair companies, associations, and insurers released the findings of a national poll focused on consumer choices in auto repair. According to the poll conducted by YouGov, 79 percent of consumers believe that automakers should be prevented by law from restricting access to vehicle data. […]