IOMICA advice on "new ideas" and the class rules

[Chairman]

The Executive, in consultation with the World Council, will shortly publish official advice on the class rules and new ideas, as follows:

1. If you are a commercial manufacturer supplying equipment to the class, treat new ideas as if they are probably illegal. Convince yourself that it is not so before marketing the equipment. Consider asking the IOMICA TSC for an interpretation. If you sell equipment that is found to be illegal you may be obliged to correct, or replace, the equipment at your own expense.
2. If you are an amateur builder and come up with something you have not seen before, then assume that it is illegal until you are convinced otherwise. Direct any questions to your national class association.
3. A certificate, or a certification mark, is NOT proof of the equipment being class legal. It is only proof that the equipment has passed such controls as are required by the class rules, and that the official measurer at the time of fundamental measurement did not find anything wrong with the equipment.
4. The owner always has the responsibility for the use of class-legal equipment, RRS 78.1 applies.

Item (1) derives from the consumer legislation that is in place in most countries, and is an implicit condition of trade otherwise. Something for sale must be fit for its purpose, and the manufacturer has liability if not a duty of care for it. It does not prevent any manufacturer agreeing with a customer that a particular item is "by special request of the customer" and is sold without representation or warranty of any kind. No problem in this case.

The Technical SC and Measurement SC are in addition considering steps that might be taken to address the issue of manufacturers driving class development rather than the class association.

[valpro]

yes I quite agree BUT where commercial interests are involved the manufacturer willhave to be absolutely certain of the confidentiality of the matter. That requires a long period of building trust, difficult and fragile.