GPSR stands for General Product Safety Regulations.  Information about the regulations can be found on the European Union website here: General Product Safety Regulation – European Commission.

The unofficial summary is that every product (that doesn’t already have a more strict regulation) that is sold within the European Union must meet certain safety standards.

In order to prove that a product meets those standards, the makers or manufacturers of the products must provide relevant documentation such as safety testing results of the products themselves and/or the materials used to make the products.

Moreover, every product must include the contact information of a “responsible person” that resides within the European Union.  Among other things, this “responsible person” must keep copies of all of the safety documents and provide those documents to customers and government agencies upon request.  The “responsible person” also acts as a liaison between regulators and makers/manufacturers.

For makers who reside within the European Union, they can act as their own responsible person, but for any makers that reside outside the EU (even if they’re in the EEA), they will need to designate an authorized representative within the EU to be their “responsible person”

The GPSR applies to any and all products (with few explicit exceptions) sold within the European Union.  So if you sell any products in the EU, whether in person, through stores, or online, this regulation applies to you.

If you do not reside in one of the 27 European Union countries, you will need to designate an authorized representative that resides within one of the 27 European Union countries to be a “responsible person” for each of your products.

Because of compromises during Brexit, Northern Ireland is considered to be within the European Union.

Countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA) but are NOT part of the European Union itself (such as Switzerland and Norway) are considered to be outside the EU.

That means that if you sell to customers in Switzerland, you do not need to comply.  However, if you sell to customers in Northern Ireland, you will need to comply.

Likewise, if you are, for example, in the United Kingdom, you will not need a “responsible person” within an EU country in order to sell to customers in Norway, but you WILL need a “responsible person” within an EU country in order to sell to customers in Northern Ireland.

For a small subscription fee, we will act as your “responsible person” within the European Union for the purposes of satisfying the General Product Safety Regulations effective 13 December 2024.

This means that we will store any relevant safety and technical documents that you are required to provide for the products that you sell within the EU, and provide those documents to any government agencies or customers that request them.  We will also assist with safety compliance actions such as facilitating product recalls.

The short answer is, no.

The biggest reason is cost.  Our primary goal it to create a low-cost option for small businesses and individual creators, and in order to provide those sorts of legal services we would have to charge as much as the other agencies out there.

So, instead we are trying to bridge the gap by providing a super low-cost option to solve the one problem that even the most avid DIYer outside the EU can’t do themselves.

Once you sign up, you get access to two new section on this website:

1. Documents
This is where you can upload any safety documents that you are required to provide.  You are entirely responsible for providing any and all documents required by the GPSR for any products that you sell within the EU.

2. GPSR Contact
This is where you will find the contact information for Corvo Cattivo that you can include with your products to make them compliant with the GPSR.

Exactly where and how you provide the contact information will vary depending on what your product is and how it’s sold to the customer.  The GPSR includes guidelines for how and where to provide the contact info.

In order to remain compliant with the GPSR, your customers, regulators, and other government agents need to be able to contact your EU representative if there are any safety issues or concerns regarding the product.  This could be months or even years after the sale has been completed.

This is why we are using a subscription model.

You are, of course, welcome to cancel your subscription at any time, but please keep in mind that by acting as the “responsible person” for your products, we are taking on a perpetual responsibility to be contacted regarding your products.

If we are contacted regarding your products during a time when you do not have an active subscription, we will not be able to act as your “responsible person” and you would not be in compliance with the regulation, which could result in fines and/or other measures.