Auto repair parts could get cheaper under bipartisan bill

Composite image | St. George News

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and other congressional members today introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would expand consumer choices for automobile collision repair parts, cut costs paid by drivers and insurers, and increase competition in the automobile repair parts market.

There is no reason why Americans should have to pay unreasonably high prices to repair their cars,” Hatch said in a statement released by his office Tuesday. “Drivers and insurers should be able to shop around for the best deal rather than being locked into a small number of options. The PARTS Act will encourage competition in the marketplace by providing consumers with a greater choice of affordable, quality alternatives to repair their cars.”

Hatch, a member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, together with fellow Senate Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and House Judiciary Committee members Darrell Issa, R-California, and Zoe Lofgren, D-California, introduced the bill known as “Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, and Sales Act of 2017” or the PARTS Act.

“Purchasing an automobile is one of the biggest investments a family will make. Yet according to AAA, one-in-three American drivers would be unable to cover the costs of an unexpected car repair bill without going into debt,” Issa said. “As car insurance rates rise at their fastest rates in more than 13 years, families deserve access to as many options to make these fixes as possible.”

The PARTS Act increases consumer choice, encourages competition, fosters innovation and will be a big-win for consumers by driving down the costs of these often very expensive repairs, Issa added.

“Millions of Americans depend on their cars to be reliable and affordable so they can get their kids to school, pick up groceries for their family, and drive to work every day,” Lofgren said. “By bringing real competition and innovation to the auto parts market, we can ensure consumers get the best value for their dollar when they need to shop for safe, high-quality, and reasonably priced replacement parts to keep their cars running.“

Background

The PARTS Act narrowly amends U.S. design patent law to reduce — from 14 years to 2.5 years — the period of time during which car manufacturers can enforce design patents on collision repair parts such as fenders, quarter panels, doors and so on, against alternative parts suppliers.

The current 14-year design patent term prevents aftermarket manufacturers from making or selling external collision repair parts, which drives up repair costs by limiting consumer choice, crowding out competition, and leading to higher insurance rates and fees.

Under the PARTS Act, it would not be an act of infringement for an alternative parts supplier to sell an aftermarket collision repair part once 2.5 years have elapsed from the date of patent. The Act would also allow alternative parts suppliers to research, develop, make, and test such parts on a not-for-sale basis during the 2.5-year patent period.

The Act would not, however, affect the ability of car companies to enforce design patents against other car companies for up to 14 years. It would impact only aftermarket repair parts.

Resources

Information for this report provided by the Office of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.

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1 Comment

  • Harold S. April 4, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    A study was done several years ago on how much it would cost to buy each part of a vehicle and and built the one. It was nearly four times the cost of going to the dealership and buying the car brand new and already put together. This is a great way for automakers to gain more profit. But if your car is older than 5 years, the parts are no longer available by the dealership. You then have two choices, buy an aftermarket part, which usually will not work with the car’s computer if it’s electronic, or buy a new car. Please tell me again why our tax dollars bailed out these car manufacturers when they were in financial trouble. Oh, I know, so their CEO’s could go on extravagant all paid vacations and get huge bonuses. After all the CEO’s did fly to DC on their private jets and had limousines drive them to ask our government to give them the bailout money.

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