《民法典》时代产品责任“发展风险”抗辩规则研究

Activation of the“Dormant Clause”:A Study of the Rule of Development Risk Defense in the Era of the Civil Code

随着当前科学技术的不断发展以及《民法典》对公平责任的法定化重塑,虚置的产品责任发展风险抗辩规则将被重新激活。作为平衡消费者保护与生产创新激励的规则设计,其价值不仅限于有限的个案适用,还应通过解释适用层面之明确,以形成对规则的良好期待。通过对“沉睡条款”现象与问题的分析,从规则价值、目的以及解释立场角度明确规则本质;廓清发展风险认定于实质要素、科学技术水平变量以及时间标准上的理论和实践分歧;结合产品责任制度下相关规则作体系上之解释,为发展风险抗辩规则在新时代背景下的解释适用提供具有可行性的方案。

With the sustained development of current science and technology and the statutory reshaping of equitable liability in the Civil Code,the rule of development risk defense,which has been left in abeyance,will be reactivated.As a rule designed to balance consumer protection and innovation-driven production,its value is not only applied to a limited number of individual cases,but also clarified through interpretation and application,so as to form a good expectation of the rule.Through the analysis of the phenomenon and problems of"dormant clause",we clarify the essence of the rule from the perspective of its value,purpose and interpretation;clarify the theoretical and practical differences in the identification of development risk in terms of substantive elements,variables of the scientific and technological level and the time standard;and make a systematic interpretation of the relevant rules in the context of product liability systems.We provide a feasible solution for the interpretation and application of development risk defense rules in the new era.