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Letter to the Editor
Friday January 18
AAAS Endorses Quality Parts Coalition
The Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast, Inc. (AAAS) has joined the Quality Parts Coalition (QPC) as a partner in the ongoing effort to preserve competition in the automotive collision replacement parts industry.During the past five years, the number of design patents awarded to the major automobile manufacturers has dramatically increased, growing to about 20 to 25 percent of the total U.S. patents awarded to those manufacturers. Collision parts account for 50 to 93 percent of the U.S. design patents awarded to the car companies. According to a QPC press release, automaker design patent cases could eliminate the entire alternative replacement parts industry, thus removing competition in the marketplace, without a permanent solution.
“The Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast has long provided its diverse membership with strong leadership and commitment to quality in the parts industry,” said Eileen Sottile, executive director of the QPC. “The AAAS’s large membership and esteemed reputation will strengthen the Coalition’s reach and influence. We are pleased that the AAAS has joined us as we work to incorporate the ‘repair clause’ in the U.S. design patent law.”
Established in 1938, the AAAS represents the automotive parts manufacture, distribution, service and repair industry in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. It works alongside the Alliance of State Automotive Aftermarket Associations, also a member of the QPC, to address issues facing the industry.
“The Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast recognizes the significance of this struggle as vital to the future of our industry in and beyond the Southeast,” stated Randal Ward, president of AAAS. “Joining forces with the Quality Parts Coalition allows us to bring this to the forefront of consumer issues in the United States and move toward a permanent resolution.”
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