The EU's Product Liability Directive (PLD) determines the rules for strict product liability in the EU. It establishes a framework in which manufacturers' liability is determined solely based on the presence of defects in the product, regardless of the manufacturer's fault. The PLD is intended...

This paper investigates whether manufacturers should be liable if consumers, through the use of a product, cause harm to others. If consumers have deep pockets then consumeronly liability is socially desirable. With consumer insolvency, however, consumer-only liability leads to inadequate...

Der Produktrückruf ist als haftungsrechtliches Phänomen seit den 70er Jahren ständig bedeutsamer geworden. Der Grund dafür liegt im Wesentlichen in der zunehmenden Differenzierung der Fertigungsprozesse, also der fortschreitenden Arbeitsteilung im Produktionsprozeß und der damit...

Ex-ante regulations and ex-post liabilities for using a new technology will induce additional costs for adopters. The standard model is advanced by including irreversibility and uncertainty and taking into account transaction costs of negotiating possible cost reductions. The case analysed is...

Ex-ante regulations and ex-post liabilities for using a new technology will induce additional costs for adopters. The standard model is advanced by including irreversibility and uncertainty and taking into account transaction costs of negotiating possible cost reductions. The case analysed is...

Die EU einigte sich Ende Mai nach langer Diskussion auf eine Altauto-Richtlinie, die in einer Übergangszeit kostenlose Rücknahmesysteme beinhaltet. Weiterhin ist aber umstritten, ob eine Rücknahme ausgedienter Kfz für die Verbraucher kostenlos sein sollte. Welche Rolle hat der Konsument im...

This paper explores the impact of product liability on vertical product differentiation when product safety is perfectly observable. In a two-stage competition, duopolistic firms are subject to strict liability and segment the market such that a low-safety product is marketed at a low price to...

This article shows that it may be socially optimal to grant accident victims less than full compensation. In our framework, firms are liable under product liability but also invest in care to prevent consumers switching to competitors. Affecting the partition of consumers by means of care-taking...