United states has very firm laws, has so strict laws having to do with product liability. Many countries are much more relaxed regarding product liability. Elaborate.
A century ago, the watchword was caveat emptor, buyer beware, which meant, in effect, that it was responsibility of the purchaser to make sure before the product was bought that it was safe. Ofcourse, one hundred years ago products were far less complex than they are today. For that reason, it was not a particularly unreasonable demand that the consumers take the time to examine a product before purchasing it. A consumer could sue a manufacturer only if he could prove either negligence or that the product did not live up to its warranties. But today its not reasonable to expect a consumer to know if a washing machine or a television set has been manufactured defect-free? Certainly not. For this reason, the law has evolved to a point where the consumer is now protected against negligence by a manufacturer. This protection comes under the heading of product liability.
"The term "product liability" is generally applied to the liability of a manufacturer, processor, or non-manufacturing seller of a product for injury to the person or property of a buyer or third party caused by the product. Product liability is generally a matter of state law. State law is not uniform, and varies as to the extent of liability, the persons who may be liable, and the persons who may recover. Since the1960's, legal developments in the area of product liability, particularly the adoption of "strict liability" have made it substantially easier for those who have been injured by defective products to recover damage. Under strict liability theory, a plaintiff does not have to prove negligence on the part of a manufacturer. The essential elements are simply that the defendant sold a defective product and that the defect was the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injuries.
