Florida Automotive Industry Association and Quality Parts Coalition Urge Florida Legislators to Stop Monopolies, Preserve Competition

Tallahassee Capital Day Provides Platform for Permanent Federal Legislative Action

WASHINGTON — Quality Parts Coalition (QPC) and Florida Automotive Industry Association (FAIA) last week met with Florida state legislators to emphasize the importance of preserving competition in the automotive aftermarket collision industry, urging state legislators to take the message to the federal level.

FAIA and QPC respect the overall patent design for vehicles. However, they 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 over 24,000 independent businesses that employ over 150,000 employees.

Without a permanent legislative solution 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, thus removing competition in the marketplace.

“Automakers already profit $10,000 to $12,000 per full-size pickup truck sold, providing billions of dollars of profit per year,” said Eileen Sottile, executive director of the QPC. “We refuse to sit idly by while these companies impose a second monopoly on the backs of American consumers.”

“We are asking Florida legislators to understand the importance of competition in the automotive aftermarket industry,” said George Ehrhard, executive vice president of FAIA. “Preserving Florida jobs and protecting motorists are very high priorities. Our state legislators have the power to amplify the importance of our efforts to federal lawmakers to ensure a permanent legislative solution.”

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.

FAIA is a statewide automotive aftermarket association dedicated to serving the needs of its members by providing information, governmental & regulatory services, quality business products and networking opportunities. Eligible members for FAIA are wholesale distributors, jobbers, service facilities (general repair, tire dealers, paint & body, transmission, muffler shops, etc.), engine rebuilders and machine shops and manufacturers.

The Quality Parts Coalition represents the interests of the independent parts industry, the repair industry, the insurance industry and consumers. It is the goal of the Quality Parts Coalition to develop and secure a permanent legislative change to U.S. design patent law to preserve competition and to protect the consumer’s right to benefit from quality, lower-cost alternative replacement parts.