试析美国产品责任法中“设计缺陷”的判断标准

A Tentative Analysis of the Criterion of "Design Defect" in the US Product Liability Law

产品缺陷是产品责任法的核心概念,设计缺陷在产品缺陷中占有重要地位,因此,设计缺陷的判断标准,就代表了产品责任法发展的历史。本文拟就美国产品责任法缺陷判断标准的历史作一个简单的回顾;并介绍各州对不同判断标准的适用情况,解释各州不愿意完全接受风险效益标准的原因。在对消费者期望标准和风险效益标准的优点和缺点上, 本文还就典型的行业作详细说明,以使读者对两个标准有一个全面的了解。

Product defect is a core part of the product liability law and design defect is a decisive factor of product defect. Therefore, the criterion of design defect is in essence the history of the development of product liability law. This paper summarizes the history of the defect criterion of the US product liability law with reference to its application in different states of the US, analyzing the reasons for their unwillingness to accept fully the criterion of risk retums. It also provides, in light of some typical enterprises, a detailed explanation of the merits and demerits of consumers＇ expected criterion and the criterion of risk returns.