[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 560 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 560

To amend title 35, United States Code, to provide for an exception from 
      infringement for certain component parts of motor vehicles.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 25, 2015

  Mr. Hatch (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 35, United States Code, to provide for an exception from 
      infringement for certain component parts of motor vehicles.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, 
and Sales Act of 2015'' or the ``PARTS Act''.

SEC. 2. EXCEPTION FROM INFRINGEMENT FOR CERTAIN COMPONENT PARTS OF 
              MOTOR VEHICLES.

    Section 271 of title 35, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(j)(1) With respect to a design patent that claims a component 
part of a motor vehicle as originally manufactured--
            ``(A) it shall not be an act of infringement of such design 
        patent to make or offer to sell within the United States, or 
        import into the United States, any article of manufacture that 
        is similar or the same in appearance to the component part that 
        is claimed in such design patent if the purpose of such article 
        of manufacture is for the repair of a motor vehicle so as to 
        restore such vehicle to its appearance as originally 
        manufactured; and
            ``(B) after the expiration of a period of 30 months 
        beginning on the first day on which any such component part is 
        first offered to the public for sale as part of a motor vehicle 
        in any country, it shall not be an act of infringement of such 
        design patent to use or sell within the United States any 
        article of manufacture that is similar or the same in 
        appearance to the component part that is claimed in such design 
        patent if the purpose of such article of manufacture is for the 
        repair of a motor vehicle so as to restore such vehicle to its 
        appearance as originally manufactured.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection--
            ``(A) the term `component part'--
                    ``(i) means a component part of the exterior of a 
                motor vehicle only, such as a hood, fender, tail light, 
                side mirror, or quarter panel; and
                    ``(ii) does not include an inflatable restraint 
                system or other component part located in the interior 
                of a motor vehicle;
            ``(B) the term `motor vehicle' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 32101(7) of title 49;
            ``(C) the term `make' includes any testing of an article of 
        manufacture; and
            ``(D) the term `offer to sell' includes any marketing of an 
        article of manufacture to prospective purchasers or users and 
        any pre-sale distribution of the article of manufacture.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 289 of title 35, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in the first paragraph, by striking ``Whoever'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--Whoever'';
            (2) in the second paragraph, by striking ``Nothing'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(c) Relationship to Other Remedies.--Nothing''; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a), as designated by 
        paragraph (1), the following:
    ``(b) Inapplicability.--This section shall not apply to an act 
described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) if that act would 
not be considered an act of infringement under section 271(j)''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect upon the 
expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act and shall apply to any patent issued, or application for 
patent filed, before, on, or after that effective date.
                                 <all>