A proposed liberalisation of the EU design rights legislation, which will allow car parts makers to copy and sell spares already made by vehicle manufacturers across the EU, has been accepted by the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee.

The directive will allow suppliers to produce vehicle components which are identical to the original parts without infringing design protection.

Only visible parts, such as headlights, body panels and front grilles, will continue to enjoy design rights protection.

Britain already allows repairs involving independently-made spares, but this is not the case in 15 other EU countries, which still have parts design protection.