EU Data Act Related Services FAQ

Under the Data Act, a related service is a digital service, other than an electronic communications service, that is connected with a product at purchase, rent, or lease in a way that the product would lose one or more functions without it. A service can also become a related service later if the manufacturer or a third party connects it to the product to add, update, or adapt the product's functions.

The Commission FAQ describes the practical test as a digital service linked to the operation of a connected product that affects the product's functionality, for example by transmitting data or commands to it.

The service must be tied to a connected product, not merely offered by the same company. Under the Data Act, a connected product is an item that obtains, generates, or collects data about its use or environment and can communicate product data through an electronic communications service, physical connection, or on-device access.

The Commission FAQ adds two practical conditions for related services: there must be bidirectional data exchange between the connected product and the service provider, and the service must affect the product's functions, behaviour, or operation.

Examples under the Data Act include an app that changes smart-light brightness, software that regulates a connected fridge's temperature, or a product-linked service that sends commands or updates to a connected device so that the device performs or changes a function.

A service is less likely to be a related service when it merely surrounds the product commercially, such as regular repair, maintenance, auxiliary consulting, analytics, or financing, without itself being connected to and affecting the connected product's functions.

Under the Data Act, product data is data generated by use of the connected product that the manufacturer designed to be retrievable by the user, data holder, third party, or manufacturer through electronic communications, physical connection, or on-device access. Related service data is data representing digitised user actions or events related to the connected product during the provision of the related service.

The Commission FAQ summarises the Chapter II access scope as raw and pre-processed data that are readily available to a data holder, together with metadata needed to make the data understandable and usable. Highly enriched inferred or derived data is outside that access scope.

Under the Data Act, a user is a natural or legal person that owns a connected product, has temporary contractual rights to use it, or receives related services. A data holder is the person or entity with the right or obligation to use and make available data, including product data or related service data retrieved or generated during the related service where the contract provides for that.

For a related service, the provider can become a data holder once it has a contractual relationship with the user and renders the service in a way that creates data. The same ecosystem may involve several users, such as an owner and a renter, so access arrangements should identify which user has rights over which product or service data.

Under the Data Act, related services must be designed and provided so product data and related service data, including relevant metadata, are by default easy, secure, free of charge, comprehensive, structured, commonly used, machine-readable, and where relevant and technically feasible directly accessible to the user.

Where the user cannot access the data directly from the connected product or related service, the data holder must make readily available data accessible to the user without undue delay and, where relevant and technically feasible, continuously and in real time. A user may also ask the data holder to make the readily available data available to a third party.

Before concluding a related-service contract under the Data Act, the prospective provider must give the user clear information about product data expected to be obtained, related service data expected to be generated, data access or retrieval arrangements, storage arrangements and retention duration, intended use of readily available data, data holder identity, contact means, third-party sharing requests, complaint rights, trade-secret status, and contract duration and termination.

This pre-contractual information matters because users need to understand both the product data already produced by the connected product and the service data that will arise once the related service starts operating.

Under the Data Act, the related-service definition excludes electronic communications services. The Commission FAQ also states that connectivity, power supply, aftermarket services such as auxiliary consulting and analytics, financial services, and regular repair and maintenance cannot be considered related services.

The Chapter II data access scope also excludes certain material even when a connected product or related service is involved. Out-of-scope material includes highly enriched inferred or derived data resulting from additional investments, and content such as textual, audio, or audiovisual material often protected by intellectual property rights.

The Data Act does not override EU personal-data rules. If the user is not the data subject, personal data generated by use of a connected product or related service may be made available only where there is a valid legal basis under GDPR and any relevant conditions under EU privacy rules are met.

Trade secrets must be preserved. The data holder or trade-secret holder must identify protected data and agree proportionate technical and organisational measures with the user or third party. In defined circumstances, the data holder may withhold or suspend access to specific trade-secret data. A refusal is available only where the data holder is also the trade-secret holder and, exceptionally, can substantiate on objective elements that disclosure of specific data is highly likely to cause serious economic damage despite the safeguards. The decision must be substantiated in writing and notified to the competent authority.

Keep a short Data Act related-service register for each product-linked digital service. The record should identify the connected product, the service, the product function affected, the bidirectional data or command path, the user, the data holder, the product data, the related service data, the access route, and any exclusions or safeguards.

The register should be operational, not just legal. It should connect contract text, product architecture, user access mechanisms, and support handling so that a user request can be answered without reclassifying the service from scratch.