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Latest / Government and geopolitics

Rule changeGovernmentEUConfirmed

EU adopts new Product Liability Directive covering software

See how this story connects

Source: Council of the EU press release

The Council adopted the revised Product Liability Directive on 10 October 2024, extending the definition of a product to software and digital manufacturing files. Courts may ease the burden of proof when a claimant faces excessive difficulty, requiring only that a defect or its causal link to the damage is likely. Member states have two years to transpose it; it was published as Directive (EU) 2024/2853.

Why it matters

Makers of software, including AI software, face no-fault liability for defective products in the EU once national laws apply, and injured people get easier routes to prove a claim.

When
10 Oct 2024
ID
WTA-N-2024-0131
Who
Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Rules involved

Summary by wheresthe.ai, from Council of the EU press release. Checked against the source on 9 Oct 2026.

Read the original at Council of the EU press release

Source copy: download the page as saved on 21 Oct 2026 (PDF). Also held by the Internet Archive.

Next stop on this Storyline: What happened nextCommission moves to withdraw the proposed AI Liability Directive

Cite this story

WTA-N-2024-0131: “EU adopts new Product Liability Directive covering software.” wheresthe.ai, 10 Oct 2024. https://wheresthe.ai/d/eu-product-liability-directive-adopted-2024-10/ (source: Council of the EU press release).

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