The Quality Parts Coalition (QPC) and the Florida Automotive Industry Association (FAIA) met with Florida state legislators to discuss aftermarket parts in the collision industry, urging state legislators to take their message to the federal level.
FAIA and QPC maintain that allowing the car companies to enforce their design patents in the secondary market would allow the car companies a monopoly on parts, which will potentially cost America tens of thousands of jobs and American consumers over $1.5 billion per year. In Florida alone, groups represented by FAIA include more than 24,000 independent businesses that employ more than 150,000 employees.
The QPC believes that without permanent legislation and the implementation of a repair clause within U.S. patent law, the current and rising trend of automaker design patents on collision replacement parts could eliminate the entire alternative replacement parts industry.
Other topics on the agenda for the meetings included support for the Motor Vehicles Owners Right to Repair Act, legislation that would reinstate annual statewide motor vehicle safety inspections and legislation that would improve health care access and lower costs. The groups also raised concerns with the proposed Clean Car standards in Florida.
For more information, visit www.faia.org and www.qualitypartscoalition.com.
