The EU’s General Product Safety Regulation: What’s New?

In the first of a series of blogs, the Cooley products team takes a look at what’s new under the European Union’s General Product Safety Regulation.

Rod Freeman, Tracey Bischofberger ,

The EU’s General Product Safety Regulation: Getting Ready for the New Rules With Cooley’s Productwise Blog Series

The European Union’s new General Product Safety Regulation is one of the most important reforms of consumer product safety laws in recent memory. In the run up to its commencement date in December 2024, the Cooley products team will explore the practical implications of the new rules in a series of Productwise blogs.

Rod Freeman, Tracey Bischofberger ,

Productwise Battery Shorts, Part 1: Are My Products Affected and When Do I Need to Comply?

The European Union Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 will start applying this month and represents a major change for anyone who manufactures, imports, or sells products containing batteries (or stand-alone batteries).

Edward Turtle, Julia Greaves

Spanner in the works? – EU Right to Repair Directive Imposes Obligations To Drive Circular Economy

On 30 July 2024, the Right to Repair (R2R) Directive will become law following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 10 July 2024.

Jamie Humphreys , Jack Eastwood and Pia Pyrtek

Calif. Ruling Heightens Medical Product Maker Liability

On June 20, the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Himes v. Somatics LLC. This 7-0 ruling has vast implications for manufacturers of medical products, namely manufacturers of prescription drugs and medical devices that reach patients through a learned intermediary, as well as for medical providers and the healthcare industry as a whole.

Sonia Nath, Matt Nguyen and Ryan Liu

Online Safety Act Update: Ofcom’s Consultation on Measures to Protect Children From Online Harms Closing 17 July 2024

The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) imposes extensive obligations on certain types of online service providers to protect users from illegal and harmful content. A key focus of the OSA is the protection of children online, and special obligations are conferred on service providers whose platforms are “likely to be accessed by children”.

Claire Temple, James Maton , Travis LeBlanc , Leo Spicer- Phelps , Morgan McCormack and Mo Swart

OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct: Key Considerations for Multinational Enterprises

The latest updates to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct in June 2023 thrust supply chain diligence into the spotlight.

Beth Sasfai, Juan Nascimbene , Jack Eastwood and Pia Pyrtek

OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct: Key Considerations for Multinational Enterprises

The latest updates to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct in June 2023 thrust supply chain diligence into the spotlight.

Beth Sasfai, Juan Nascimbene , Jack Eastwood and Pia Pyrtek

Online Safety Act Update

The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), which you can read more about in this November 2023 client alert, imposes extensive new obligations on certain types of online service providers. In some cases, the OSA will apply to online marketplaces and certain ancillary services – for example, where user-to-user (U2U) or search services are offered – and there are potential implications in respect of products that may be sold to consumers as a result.

Claire Temple, Carol Holley , Carolina Ljungwaldh and Mo Swart

PFAS Regulation: EPA Designates Two PFAS as Hazardous Substances Under CERCLA

On April 19, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule that designates two PFAS chemicals – PFOA and PFOS – as ‘hazardous substances’ subject to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as Superfund). The rule will take effect under CERCLA, giving the EPA increased authority to investigate and respond to PFAS contamination and seek recovery of costs associated with cleanup efforts. The EPA sees the new rule as a significant step in its regulation of PFAS.

Shawn Skolky and Kathleen Goodhart