• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0
[email protected]
Contact form
Patentanwaltskanzlei

Patentanwaltskanzlei

  • Deutsch

+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • xing
  • Email
MENUMENU
  • Services
    • Advice On Protective IP Rights
    • Patent Application /TM Registration
    • Enforcement Of IP Rights
    • Defence Against IP Rights Enforcement
    • Costs
  • Company
    • Fields of Law
      • Patent Law
      • Utility Model Law
      • Employees‘ Inventions
      • Trademark Law
      • Design Law
      • Trademark and Product Piracy
      • Expert Opinions
    • Our Law Firm
      • Dr. Tim Meyer-Dulheuer
      • Dr. Klaus Zimmermann
      • Zhichao Ying
      • Walter Benjamin Feldheim
    • Commitment
  • Contact
    • Where To Find Us
    • Write us!
    • Request call back
  • Blog

Access to car spare parts database: Free dealers lose before ECJ

23. September 2019

Before the European Court of Justice, the German association for car spare parts failed with its claim for free access to replacement databases. The ruling strengthens the position of car manufacturers – for the time being, there will still be no cheaper spare parts based on repair and maintenance information for the car.

spare partsThe European Court of Justice (ECJ) had to interpret Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 of Regulation No. 715/2007 and the question whether this regulation obliges car manufacturers to grant independent market participants such as independent garages and dealers access to a car spare parts database.
The ECJ answered this question in the negative (EU:C:2019:762). Car manufacturers are not obliged to provide such information in electronic form. Such an obligation does not derive either from the above-mentioned Regulation or from the OASIS format of that provision.

New EU regulation provides free access for all

The Gesamtverband der Autoteile-Handel e.V. (Association of the Automotive Parts Trade), which is suing against the KIA, argued in court that the EU Regulation (EU) 2018/858 would come into force from September 1, 2020, which provides for precisely such an obligation for automobile manufacturers. According to the new EU regulation, car manufacturers must make all information required for the maintenance of a vehicle available to free market participants online. But the ECJ rejected this argument. It is currently being judged on the basis of the existing Directive, and such an obligation cannot be considered as already contained in Regulation 715/2007.

The main proceedings: KIA offered its own online information channel

In the German main proceedings, the car manufacturer KIA had opened up a further information channel for the sale of original spare parts by involving an information service provider in favour of authorised dealers and repairers. KIA made the original parts catalogue available to the information service provider LexCom. With the help of the vehicle identification number on its Internet portal “Partslink24”, independent repairers could search for original KIA spare parts.

Discrimination through different access to information?

For this reason, a second part of the complaint was heard before the European Court of Justice, in which the court had to assess the extent to which the prohibition of discrimination provided for in Directive EU Regulation No. 715/2007 applies to this case. But also in this question the ECJ rejected the arguments of the association Autoteile-Handel e. V.. The association did not claim that the information provided by KIA was more complete or of better quality than that which any independent market participant could access via the KIA Internet portal anyway, the ECJ ruled. However, discrimination within the meaning of the EU regulation only existed if the information in question was provided to independent market participants on the one hand and to authorised dealers and repairers on the other. However, since every market participant was granted access to vehicle repair and maintenance information by the KIA, there was no discrimination.

ECJ dismissed action by spare parts dealers

The European Court of Justice therefore completely rejected the action brought by the Gesamtverband Autoteile-Handel e. V. and strengthened the position of car manufacturers. However, since the new EU Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of 1 September 2020 makes free access to all online available repair and maintenance information of car manufacturers compulsory, this is only a short delay for car manufacturers.

 

Do you need any support against competitors?

Our lawyers are experienced in trademark and patent law, national and international law.


Sources:

Judgement of ECj on spare parts databases, EU:C:2019:762

Image:

emkanicepic/pixabay.com / CCO License  

 

  • share  
  • share 
  • share 
  • share 
  • share 

Category iconInternational Intellectual Property,  Product- and Trademark piracy Tag iconAccess to car spare parts database,  automobile,  ECJ,  free dealers,  KIA,  online information channel,  Spare Parts

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

More articles about: International Intellectual Property

All articles

Blog Menu

  • Design Law
  • Healthcare & Lifesciences
  • International Intellectual Property
  • Licenses
  • News from our law firm
  • Overall
  • Patent Law
  • Product- and Trademark piracy
  • Trademark Law

Recent Posts

  • What is the public allowed to know? 3. June 2024
  • BPatG: Patent claim of cancer drug on active substance as salt 7. March 2022
  • Grant for European IP Protection: SME Fund 2022 4. March 2022
  • CODE-X vs. Cody’s: Likelihood of confusion in drinks? 25. February 2022

Fields of Law

  • Patent Law
  • Utility Model Law
  • Employees’ Inventions
  • Trademark Law
  • Design Law
  • Trademark and Product Piracy
  • Expert Opinions
  • Costs

Das könnte Sie auch interessieren:

4. March 2022
Grant for European IP Protection: SME Fund 2022

Grant for European IP Protection: SME Fund 2022

14. February 2022
Crypto trading: NFT for luxury and art

Crypto trading: NFT for luxury and art

11. February 2022
Shipwreck for Iglo: lawsuit over figure Käpt’n Iglo

Shipwreck for Iglo: lawsuit over figure Käpt’n Iglo

28. January 2022
CFI: Intel rebate system – Intel successfull in legal dispute

CFI: Intel rebate system – Intel successfull in legal dispute

18. January 2022
Bundling of NRW court jurisdiction for IT and renewables

Bundling of NRW court jurisdiction for IT and renewables

4. January 2022
Classifications 2022: IPC, Nice and Locarno

Classifications 2022: IPC, Nice and Locarno

Contact us or request a call back

+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0
[email protected]
Request a call back

Footer

Contact

Hanauer Landstrasse 287
D – 60314 Frankfurt am Main
Deutschland
+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0
+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 199
[email protected]

Office Hours
Moday – Friday:   08:00-18:00

Fields of Law

  • Patent Law
  • Utility Model Law
  • Employees’ Inventions
  • Trademark Law
  • Design Law
  • Trademark and Product Piracy
  • Expert Opinions
  • Costs

Law Firm

  • Request non-binding call back
  • Company
  • Our Law Firm
  • ISO Certificate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Data handling for clients
  • Imprint

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • xing
  • Email

Newsletter Signup

Newsletter INT

© MD LEGAL Patentanwalt, European Patent Attorney PartG

Contact Form

 

Give us a call, send us an email or fill out the contact form.

+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0
[email protected]

Rückruf INT

Please note: If we deal specifically with your individual case, this is what is known as an initial consultation. In accordance with Section 34 of the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz, this incurs one-off costs of 190 euros plus MwSt. We will be happy to assist you in a personal consultation after our telephone call.

Kontaktformular

 

Rufen Sie uns an, schicken Sie uns eine Mail oder füllen Sie das Kontaktformular aus.

+49 (0) 69 / 606 278 – 0
[email protected]

Rückruf

Um dieses Angebot nutzen zu können, müssen Sie der Speicherung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten zustimmen. Wir behandeln diese streng vertraulich und verwenden sie nur zur Kontaktaufnahme mit Ihnen. Mehr dazu lesen Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.

Bitte beachten Sie: Wenn wir uns konkret mit Ihrem Einzelfall befassen, ist dies eine sogenannte Erstberatung. Für eine solche entstehen gemäß § 34 Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz einmalige Kosten in Höhe von 190 Euro plus MwSt. Gerne helfen wir Ihnen im Anschluss an unser Telefonat in einem persönlichen Beratungsgespräch weiter.