EU Product Liability Law: Platforms, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence

Editors: Silvia Martinelli, Pierluigi Perri, Cristina Poncibò

ISBN: 9781041256533

Published: September 2026

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Publisher: Routledge

Description

This volume examines the evolving EU regulatory frameworks governing product liability, with particular emphasis on digital platforms, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Smart products, meaning devices that combine connectivity, software and automated decision-making, challenge existing liability regimes because they involve complex interactions between hardware, software and advanced technologies, including AI systems.

These developments call for the coordination of product safety, product liability, data protection, consumer protection, platform governance and AI governance, so that consumers harmed by defective products can still be effectively compensated. A central focus of the book is the revised Product Liability Directive (PLD 2024), which seeks to modernise the EU liability regime for smart products and related technological advances.

Key Features

• Analyses the revised Product Liability Directive (PLD 2024) and its historical and theoretical foundations
• Addresses liability for digital content, digital services and online platforms in the EU
• Explores by-design regulation, the Internet of Things and AI, including the relationship between the new directive and the former AI civil liability proposal
• Examines cybersecurity as an element of product liability, up to the "Digital Omnibus" regulatory debate
• Combines EU and comparative law perspectives with technological aspects such as AI science and cybersecurity

Coverage

The book is organised in three parts. Part I, Product Liability: Legal Foundations, Developments and Digital Services, covers the doctrinal underpinnings and legal evolution of EU product liability, including the compensation of non-material harm, defects in digital content and services, and the liability of online platforms in global value chains. Part II, Future-Proof Product Liability: Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, looks at medical IoT, by-design defectiveness, follow-on actions in AI law and the role of EU harmonised standards. Part III addresses cybersecurity issues for product liability regulation, including AI and cybersecurity, biometric data and the EU cybersecurity landscape.

Practical applications drawn from the book's content include:

• Assessing the liability exposure of manufacturers and platforms that place connected or AI-enabled products on the EU market under the revised directive
• Mapping the overlap between product liability, cybersecurity, data protection and AI governance obligations when advising on compliance
• Evaluating litigation strategy for consumer claims involving software, digital services and AI systems, including follow-on actions

About the Authors

The volume is edited by Silvia Martinelli, Pierluigi Perri and Cristina Poncibò. It brings together fifteen chapters from a group of contributors that includes Michel Cannarsa, Eleonora Rajneri, Béatrice Schütte, Joasia Luzak, Mitja Kovač, Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell, Francesca Gennari, Martin Ebers, Iain Nash, Pier Giorgio Chiara, Sergio Barezzani and Matteo Buffa.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: Product Liability: Legal Foundations, Novelties & Digital Services

1. The Product Liability Regime: An Historical Overview (Michel Cannarsa)
2. The Implicit Theoretical Foundation of the Product Liability Regime in the Previous Directive and in the Reform (Eleonora Rajneri)
3. New Products, New Risks, New Harms: Should Non-Material Harm Be Compensated under the Revised Product Liability Regime? A Critical Analysis in Light of the Regulatory Framework on Artificial Intelligence (Béatrice Schütte)
4. Protecting Consumers Against Their Poison: Defects in Digital Content and Digital Services (Joasia Luzak)
5. Incentives to Innovate, Litigation and the Ex-Post Product Liability of Online Platforms in the European Union (Mitja Kovač)
6. Global Value Chains in a Platform Economy: The Role of Product Liability Rules (Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell)

Part II: Future-Proof Product Liability: Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence

7. Medical Internet of Things for Rehabilitation Purposes. At a Crossroads between the New Product Liability Directive and the Former Artificial Intelligence Civil Liability Proposal (Francesca Gennari)
8. By Design Regulation and Product Liability: The By Design Defectiveness (Silvia Martinelli)
9. The New Product Liability Directive: Paving the Way for Follow-On Actions in Artificial Intelligence Law? (Martin Ebers)
10. AI Liability and EU Harmonized Standards (Cristina Poncibò)
11. Cybersecurity Landscape of Internet of Things Devices: A Comparative Perspective (Iain Nash)

Part III: Cybersecurity Issues for Products Liabilities Regulations

12. EU Products Cybersecurity, Liability and Consumer Protection (Pier Giorgio Chiara)
13. Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (Sergio Barezzani)
14. The Biometric_On: On the (Dual) Use of Biometric Data in Migration and Asylum (Matteo Buffa)
15. The EU Cybersecurity Landscape: Regulatory Architecture, Enforcement and the Road to a "Digital Omnibus" (Pierluigi Perri)

Why buy this book?

Smart and connected products are testing liability rules that were written for physical goods. This volume gives practitioners, regulators and researchers a single reference on how the revised EU Product Liability Directive applies to platforms, IoT devices and AI systems, with comparative perspectives and a technical grounding in cybersecurity and AI. It is relevant to anyone advising on, litigating or regulating liability for digital products in the European Union.

Keywords

EU product liability, Product Liability Directive 2024, PLD, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence liability, online platforms, cybersecurity, digital services, consumer protection, smart products

Target Audience

Lawyers, Legal Academics, Law Libraries, Policymakers, Compliance Officers, Corporate Lawyers

Genre

Law, European Union Law, Technology Law, Comparative Law, Information Security

Q&A

What does the revised EU Product Liability Directive (PLD 2024) change for smart products?
It modernises the EU liability regime so that it can respond to connected devices, software and AI systems, which involve complex interactions between hardware, software and automated decision-making. This book analyses that reform in depth.

Can online platforms be held liable for defective products under EU law?
The book examines the product liability of online platforms in the European Union, including incentives to innovate and the role of platforms in global value chains.

How does product liability interact with AI regulation?
Several chapters study the relationship between the new directive, the former AI civil liability proposal and EU harmonised standards, and consider whether the directive paves the way for follow-on actions in AI law.

Is cybersecurity part of product liability for connected devices?
Yes. Part III addresses cybersecurity issues for product liability regulation, covering IoT security from a comparative perspective, AI and cybersecurity, and the EU cybersecurity regulatory architecture.

Can non-material harm be compensated under the revised regime?
Chapter 3 analyses this question in light of the regulatory framework on artificial intelligence.

Where can I buy EU Product Liability Law: Platforms, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence?
It is available from CLNZ Books (clnzbooks.com), a specialist bookseller serving professionals and institutions worldwide. Price includes worldwide shipping, card/PayPal.

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