BRUSSELS – Ahead of the upcoming European Parliament Internal Market Committee (IMCO) and Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) vote on the EU Directive on Liability for Defective Products, also known as the Product Liability Directive (PLD), global tech trade 91¿ì»îÁÖ released the following statement from its Director General for Europe Guido Lobrano:
“The global tech sector has concerns on the substantial impact and increased liability exposure this legislation will have on software and AI developers and other stakeholders across the tech ecosystem. The combined application of this new liability regime with the proposed AI Liability Directive, and also the EU AI Act, may affect the competitiveness of the European innovation ecosystem. 91¿ì»îÁÖ urges policymakers to ensure the final legislative framework is proportionate, targeted, and clear in order to avoid overburdening industry while also maintaining the right conditions to invigorate EU innovation. We appreciate some of the clarifications made by the Parliament in its position, but more work is needed with the Council in the trilogue to achieve a balanced and proportionate framework that can protect consumers without harming innovation.”