PRODUCT SAFETY, PRODUCT LIABILITY AND AUTOMOTIVE M
cod. 1010888

Academic year 2024/25
2° year of course - First semester
Professor
Enrico AL MUREDEN
Academic discipline
Diritto privato (IUS/01)
Field
A scelta dello studente
Type of training activity
Student's choice
60 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: UNIMORE
course unit
in ENGLISH

Learning objectives

The main purpose of the course is to enable students to efficiently handle the fundamental legal issues involved in car manufacturing.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are not required

Course unit content

The course will focus on the UE and US legislation framework upon product liability law and product safety law. In a second phase the course will focus on the case law study having regard to the liability issues on the automotive sector.
The analysis of the legal system will be conducted in a comparative prospective between EU/US current regulation, with a particular focus on the economic analysis of the law.

Full programme

I - INTRODUCTION TO PRIVATE LAW
PRIVATE LAW PRINCIPLES
TORT LAW PRINCIPLES

II -PRODUCT SAFETY AND PRODUCT LIABILITY IN THE UE LEGAL SYSTEM:
• The Directives on product liability;
• The concept of “defective product”:
• Design defect
• Manufacturing defect
• Warning defect
• Product safety and quality
• The general product safety directives;
• The concepts of safe” and “unsafe” products;
• Authorities involved in the harmonization and in the definition of harmonized European standards
• The withdrawal;
• The recall;
• The duty to warn;
III - PRODUCT SAFETY AND PRODUCT LIABILITY IN THE US LEGAL SYSTEM
• The uniform federal product safety standards;
• Agencies involved in the definition of harmonized standards on product safety;
• The concept of “defective product”:
• Design defect
• Manufacturing defect
• Warning defect

IV - AUTOMOTIVE AND PRIVATE LAW
• Car manufacturing, car circulation and the problem of the cost of the accidents
• The road safety and the car safety
• The Crashworthiness doctrine in US
• The role of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• The NHTSA safety standards
• The UE safety standards
• Vehicle’s safety and manufacturer liability in UE and US
• The manufacturer liability
• The liability of the manufacturer of a specific component
• The designer liability

V - HIGHLY AUTOMATED VEHICLES, CONNECTED VEHICLES AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING CARS
• The legal aspects between existing laws, the role of the jurisprudence and the perspectives of a reform.
• Ethic issues arising from automated vehicles and the role of the law
The law making process in UE
• The ERTRAC Working Group’s Automated Driving Roadmap
• The common EU approach to liability rules and insurance for connected and autonomous vehicles
• The law making process in US - New Federal Guidance for Automated Driving Systems (ADS)
• The first cases of accidents caused by highly automated vehicles.

Bibliography

The materials will consist in papers drafted by the Professor and a selection of laws, regulations, documents and cases loaded and shared in cloud

Teaching methods

Lessons will be held by Professor Enrico Al Mureden and Professor Matteo De Pamphilis.
Attending students will be able to study cases through small working groups where they will be able to produce their own solution to cases. Students will be offered the opportunity to take part in a moot court during the course, as a conclusion of the case law analysis

Assessment methods and criteria

The final assessment is based on a written exam, which may be divided in progressive tasks

Other information

Lessons will be given using power point slides and multimedia contents

2030 agenda goals for sustainable development

- - -

Contacts

Toll-free number

800 904 084

Student registry office

E. segreteria.ingarc@unipr.it

Quality assurance office

Education manager:

T. 
Office E. dia.didattica@unipr.it
Manager E. 

 

President of the degree course

Prof. Massimo Bertozzi
E. massimo.bertozzi@unipr.it

Faculty advisor

Prof. Letizia Marchegiani
E. letizia.marchegiani@unipr.it

Career guidance delegate

Prof. Letizia Marchegiani
E. letizia.marchegiani@unipr.it

Tutor professor

Prof. Nicola Mimmo (UNIBO)
E. nicola.mimmo2@unibo.it
Prof. Riccardo Rovatti (UNIBO)
E. riccardo.rovatti@unibo.it

Erasmus delegates

to be determined

Quality assurance manager

Prof. Nicola Mimmo (UNIBO)
E. nicola.mimmo2@unibo.it
 

Internships

Prof. Alessandro Chini (UNIMORE)
E. alessandro.chini@unimore.it
Prof. Gaetano Bellanca (UNIFE)
E. gaetano.bellanca@unife.it
Prof.ssa Annamaria Cucinotta (UNIPR)
E. annamaria.cucinotta@unipr.it
Prof. Nicola Mimmo (UNIBO)
E. nicola.mimmo2@unibo.it
Prof. Paolo Pavan (UNIMORE)
E. paolo.pavan@unimore.it
Prof. Riccardo Rovatti (UNIBO)
E. riccardo.rovatti@unibo.it

Tutor students

to be determined