The American Insurance Association has voiced support for legislation clarifying patent law to allow foreign aftermarket auto part manufacturers to sell their products in the United States.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., on March 14 before Congress left on a two-week recess, would reverse an August 2007 ruling by the International Trade Commission upholding a Ford Motor Co. patent protecting seven exterior parts of the F150 pickup truck, the largest selling vehicle in America, from generic foreign imports.
The ITC ruled that seven of the 10 Ford patents were valid and infringed, thus allowing Ford to block the importation of aftermarket parts from overseas manufacturers.
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